Preben von Magnus | |
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| Born | Preben Christian Alexander von Magnus 25 February 1912 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Died | 9 August 1973 (aged 61) |
| Nationality | Danish |
| Alma mater | University of Copenhagen |
| Known for |
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| Medical career | |
| Profession | Physician |
| Field | Virology |
Preben Christian Alexander von Magnus (25 February 1912 – 9 August 1973) was a Danish virologist who is known for his research on influenza, polio vaccination and monkeypox. He gave his name to the Von Magnus phenomenon.
In the 1950s, together with his wife the virologist Herdis von Magnus, he directed the first Danish vaccination programme against polio. In 1958, he was the first to confirm the identity of the monkeypox virus and to describe monkeypox in laboratory crab-eating Macaques during two outbreaks of the disease in the summer and autumn of that year. In 1959 he was appointed director of the Statens Serum Institut.
He represented Denmark at the 1959 Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs where he explained that respiratory viruses such as influenza and the common cold were unsuitable as biological weapons. He became a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1965.