Hermanussen studied
medicine and worked as a pediatrician at the University of Kiel from 1982 until 1989. He investigated
growth and
child development (
auxology) and first described mini growth spurts.[2] Since 1990 he cooperates in international joint projects with scientists and also works in a general pediatric office. He organizes national and international meetings on growth and nutrition. From 2003 to 2011 he was a member of the scientific board of the German society for
Anthropology[3] and he is chief editor of ”Human Biology and Public Health”.[4] He is the founder and head of the Auxological Society.
Scientific Work
Hermanussen developed new mathematical methods for improved diagnostics of growth disorders[5][6] and a new technique for estimating final
adult height.[7]
He developed mini-
knemometry, a new and accurate technique for growth
measurements in children. This device determines the
lower leg length at an
accuracy that growth becomes measurable within a few days.[8][9][10][11] In addition he developed a similar
technology for measuring growth in
rats within intervals of a few hours. This technology was important for the better understanding of the effects of
growth hormone.[12][13] His investigations resulted in a significant improvement of
growth hormone therapies.[14][15] For the first time, Hermanussen showed that
anorexia nervosa patients do not only stop growing they even can shrink.[16]
Since 2002 he works in
nutrition and
obesity, with particular respect to
monosodium glutamate on
appetite regulation.[17][18] During this project Hermanussen showed for the first time that
convenience food contains
neurotransmitters.[19] In the global debate on the causes of stunting, he argues that stunting is not a synonym of malnutrition, but is socially conditioned.[20]
^Hermanussen M, Geiger-Benoit K, Burmeister J, Sippell WG (1988). "Periodical changes of short term growth velocity ("mini growth spurts") in human growth". Ann Hum Biol. 15 (2): 103–109.
doi:
10.1080/03014468800009521.
^Hermanussen M, Largo RH, Molinari L (2001). "Canalisation in human growth: a widely accepted concept reconsidered". Eur J Pediatr. 160 (3): 163–7.
doi:
10.1007/s004310000706.
^Hermanussen M, Cole TJ (2003). "The calculation of target height reconsidered". Horm Res. 59 (4): 180–3.
doi:
10.1159/000069321.
^Hermanussen M (1988). "Knemometry, a new tool for the investigation of growth". Eur J Pediatr. 147 (4): 350–355.
doi:
10.1007/bf00496409.
^Hermanussen M, Geiger-Benoit K, Burmeister J, Sippell WG (1988). "Periodical changes of short term growth velocity ("mini growth spurts") in human growth". Ann Hum Biol. 15 (2): 103–109.
doi:
10.1080/03014468800009521.
^Hermanussen M, Seele K (1997). "Mini-Knemometry: An accurate technique for lower leg length measurements in early childhood". Ann Hum Biol. 24 (4): 307–313.
doi:
10.1080/03014469700005052.
^Hermanussen M (2003). "The measurement of short term growth". J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 16 (7): 969–971.
doi:
10.1515/JPEM.2003.16.7.969.
^Hermanussen M, Rol de Lama MA, Lama M, Burmeister J, Fernandez-Tresguerres JA (1995). "Mikro-knemometry: An accurate technique of growth measurement in rats". Physiol Behav. 58 (2): 347–352.
doi:
10.1016/0031-9384(95)00062-n.
^Hermanussen M, Rol de Lama M, Tresguerres JAF, Grasedyck L, Burmeister J (1998). "Short term growth: evidence for chaotic series of mini growth spurts in rat growth". Physiol Behav. 64: 7–13.
doi:
10.1016/s0031-9384(98)00023-7.
^Hermanussen M, Geiger-Benoit K, Sippell WG (1985). "Catch-up growth following transfer from three times weekly im to daily sc administration of hGH in GH deficient patients, monitored by knemometry". Acta Endocrinol. 109 (2): 163–168.
doi:
10.1530/acta.0.1090163.
^Hermanussen M, Geiger-Benoit K, Burmeister J, Sippell WG (1987). "Can the knemometer shorten the time for growth rate assessment?". Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl. 337: 30–36.
doi:
10.1111/j.1651-2227.1987.tb17124.x.
^Hermanussen M, Geiger-Benoit K, Sippell WG (1987). "Negative growth" in anorexia nervosa assessed by knemometry". Eur J Pediatr. 146 (6): 561–564.
doi:
10.1007/bf02467353.
^Hermanussen M, et al. (2006). ": Obesity, voracity and short stature: the impact of glutamate on the regulation of appetite". European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 60: 25–31.
doi:
10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602263.
PMID16132059.