[The etiology of leprosy and Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen: what does "Armauer" mean?].

Hansen discovered the bacteria in 1873 in unstained material and is therefore recognized as the discoverer of the leprosy pathogen. Hansen is a very common surname but in contrast Armauer is a very rare surname. Gerhard Henrik Hansen added the maiden name of his grandmother on his mother's side to his name early on. This happened not only out of family attachments but also as a physician and aspiring scientist to set himself apart from other Hansens.