Bladder tumors and aromatic amines - historical milestones from Ludwig Rehn to Wilhelm Hueper

We know today that environmental factors must be regarded as a significant cause of the urinary bladder carcinoma. In Germany, the urinary bladder carcinoma is the second most common urological tumor among men and the most common among women and more than 100 occupational bladder cases are recognized and compensated per year. Scientific studies of this problem reach back to the 18th century. However it was only in 1895 that the surgeon Ludwig Rehn firstly described 3 cases of occupational bladder tumors in at most 45 fuchsine workers in Frankfurt / M. This extremely significant discovery was followed by a description of a large number of cases of urinary bladder tumors among workers in the paint industry. Nevertheless, it was impossible to induce bladder cancer in animals by aromatic amines for many years. In the 1930s, the pathologist Wilhelm C. Hueper was the first to induce bladder cancer in animal experiments, applying beta-naphthylamine to dogs. Based on these experiments and corroborated by epidemiologic studies, beta-naphthylamine was banned in Germany and many countries from the 1950s on. This review will highlight work and life of these two pioneering medical researchers.