History

The "Chemisches Untersuchungsamt" (Chemical Investigation Office) has taken over essential tasks of the "Chemisches Staatslaboratorium" (State Chemical Laboratory): chemical services for the authorities and courts of the City of Hamburg.

It was initially assigned to the "Abteilung für angewandte Chemie des Chemischen Staats­labora­toriums" (Department of Applied Chemistry of the State Chemical Laboratory), so that 1914 is also used as the date of foundation. In some reports, 1837 is also mentioned as the founding date, since the foundation of the Chemical Laboratory of the "Akademisches Gymnasium" (Academic High School) also marked the beginning of the investigative activities.

When the University was founded in 1919, however, a reorganization of the "Staatslaboratorium" (State Laboratory) became necessary, so that here the starting year is asumed to be 1919. As of 1920 the "Untersuchungsamt" is listed in the University course catalogue.

The heads of the "Untersuchungsamt" are/were:

1919-1922	Felix Voigtländer
1922-1928	Wilhelm Göhlich
1928-1929	Richard Ehrenstein
1929-1931	Position of Head is vacant. (Head of "Staatsinstitut" is also Head of "Untersuchungsamt")
1931-1941	Hans Schmalfuß
1941-1956	Position of Head is vacant? (Head of "Staatsinstitut" is also Head of "Untersuchungsamt")
1956-1964	Rudolf Kraul
1964-1976	Hans Häusser, (Werner Baltes is research assistant until 1973)
1976-1985	Hanke Hey
1985-1995	Walter Herbel
1995-now	Monika Körs

Further research assistants were:

• Karl Gaertner (1924-1949)
• Franz Hassler (1897-1927)
• Günther Hindemith (1935-1936)
• Kurt Kalle (nur 1929)
• Theodor Klünder (1902-1918)
• Emil Marben (1907-1921)
• Georg Münchmeyer (1913-1921)
• Kurt-Christian Scheel (1933-1935)
• Karl Tiedcke (nur 1930)
• Hans Werner (1930-1938, later head of CLUA und Professor for Food Chemistry)
• Hermann Werner (1939-1959, later lectureship for commodity science at the university in Hamburg)

The position of the leader was not always occupied. There was also personal union and/or cooperation with the other departments of the "Staatsinsitut". Thus the staff of the "Untersuchungsamt" often had teaching positions at the university.

Today, besides the technical staff, only one scientist works in the "Untersuchungsamt". In earlier years, however, there were up to four scientists who were dedicated to different areas of activity and headed the respective departments. The 'services' for the authorities were not only the application of known methods, but very often also the development of new investigation methods.

In 1932, the investigation office had 4 departments:

• Abteilung für gerichtliche Chemie (Department of Forensic Chemistry)
• Abteilung für Chemie der Lebensmittel und Gebrauchsgegenstände (Department of Chemistry of Food and Utility Articles)
• Abteilung für Warenkunde (Department of Commodity Science)
• Abteilung für Biochemie, einschließlich der Landwirtschaftschemie (Department of Biochemistry, including Agricultural Chemistry)

Until 1969, the "Untersuchungsamt" was a department of the "Chemisches Staatsinstitut" (State Chemical Institute), which was under the direct control of the director.
When the Department of Chemistry was formed, it was initially assigned to the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry.
From 1985 to 2019 it has been part of the Institute of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, now the Institute of Food Chemistry. Since 2019 it is a central unit of the Department of Chemistry.

Other chemical investigation offices in Hamburg

Another investigative office has at times been in personal union with the food chemistry department:
In 1892, in response to the cholera epidemic in Hamburg, the "Hygiene Institut" (Institute of Hygiene) was founded. It also took over tasks that had previously been the responsibility of the "Chemisches Staatslaboratorium".
In 1903 this institute had three departments, including "Abteilung III: Nahrungs­mittel­unter­suchungen" (Department III: Food Testing). In 1951 it was divided into four institutions. Institution III was the "Chemische und Lebens­mittel­unter­suchungs­anstalt (CLUA)" (Chemical and Food Testing Institute). In 1964 the chair of food chemistry at the University of Hamburg was combined with the management of the "Chemische und Lebensmitteluntersuchungsanstalt". Hans Werner, who had been head of the CLUA since 1951, now also became Professor of Food Chemistry at the University of Hamburg. Until 1939, he himself had been an employee of the "Chemisches Untersuchungsamt".

From 1893-1938 there was also a 'Chemisches Unter­suchungs­amt der Stadt Altona' (Chemical Investigation Office of the City of Altona), which also bore the name 'Chemische Unter­suchungs­anstalt für Lebensmittelchemie und Gerichtliche Chemie in Altona' (Chemical Investigation Institute for Food Chemistry and Forensic Chemistry in Altona). Hermann Werner first worked here before moving to the "Chemisches Untersuchungsamt" in 1939.