Horst Bickel


Horst Bickel was a German doctor.
With Guido Fanconi, he characterized Glycogen storage disease type XI in 1949.
He was also involved in the development of treatments for phenylketonuria. In 1951, Bickel, Evelyn Hickmans and John Gerrard were persuaded by a persistent mother to help her daughter, Sheila, who was suffering from phenylketonuria. They created a diet that was low in phenylalanine and the daughter's condition improved.
Bickel, Gerrard and Hickmans were awarded the John Scott Medal in 1962 for their discovery.
His birthday, June 28th, which he shares with Robert Guthrie, another important person for Phenylketonuria was taken up by the European Society for Phenylketonuria and Allied Disorders Treated as Phenylketonuria to launch the International PKU Day.