Claussen studied medicine at the universities of Bonn and Hamburg, where he took his German medical state exam and the United States Medical Licensing Examination. In 1965, he obtained a doctorate degree with a dissertation, "a comparison of the enteral absorption of Digoxine and digostine esters". During his academic years, he attended courses at the universities of Toulouse, Oxford, Oslo, Göteborg, Copenhagen and Århus, as a scholarship holder of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. Between 1965 and 1967, Claussen was an intern at Hamburg and Simmerath. From 1967 to 1970, he was assistant lecturer at the University ENT clinic of the University of Berlin. From 1968 to 1969, he completed research visits in the then newly created field of neurotology at Nils Gunnar Henriksson in Lund, and developed numerous neurotological tests such as cranio-corpography. In 1970, he qualified as a professor at the FU Berlin to be the first university teacher for neurotology in Germany. His postdoctoral thesis was about the recording and evaluation of selected quantitative equilibrium function tests. In 1969 he started developing corresponding departments at the university clinics of Berlin and Würzburg. Since 1971, he has been head of this department in the ENT Clinic in the University of Würzburg, where he qualified as a professor of neurotology in 1971. From 1972 to 1974, he conducted research in Buenos Aires, under the tutorship of Juan Manuel Tato. He also published his first textbook, his own concept of modern equilibriometry, the objective and quantitative measuring of the equilibrium function. Additionally, he completed several research visits to the NASA laboratories headed by Ashton Graybiel in Pensacola, Florida. Claussen was professor and, since 1978, associate professor for neurotology at the ENT clinic of the University of Würzburg until his Emeritus after the end of the summer semester 2004. He investigated the regulation of the equilibrium, the sensory functions of the hearing organs, as well as smell and taste perception.
Work
Between 1967 and 1982, Claussen established a database including data about 30,000 neurotological patients in Würzburg. Analysis of the data made it possible to draw conclusions about diseases such as vertigo and double vision, and hearing disorders or tinnitus. In 1972, Claussen began scientific cooperation with scientists and institutions around the world. In 1974, he co-founded the international Neurootological and Equilibriometric Society in Bad Kissingen and, in 1981, the "Research Society for Smell, Taste, Hearing and Equilibrium Disorders at Bad Kissingen“, of which he remains president. Also after his Emeritus, he still holds numerous honorary posts as a president or chairman of international medical organizations. Claussen has organized and conducted a lot of international congresses, which often take place in his home town of Bad Kissingen, about neurotology and disorders of the cranial senses as well as their therapy. So, he has, since 1974, organized the annual "International Congress of Neurootologists", which is attended by participants from 33 countries.
Memberships
Claussen is member, corresponding member and honorary member in numerous scientific societies and associations in Europe, America and Asia, for example in
On 22 January 2001, he received the honorary title "Knight of the Hungarian Culture“ with the Rakoczy Medal in a state occasion Budapest on "Day of the Hungarian Culture“ in the Stefanie Palace.
On 19 November 2004, he received in Chennai lifelong honorary membership of the Indian Otology Society.
On 1 January 2007, he received the Citizen Medal of the town of Bad Kissingen.
Artist
Since 1972, Claussen has created artworks - steel sculptures and oil paintings. In Eisenbühl, the Iron bender from Eisenbühl conducts an atelier for steel sculptures, a Fine Art Park and a museum hall. Since 1981, some of his steel large sculptures have been erected on public places in Switzerland, in Baden-Württemberg, Berlin and Franconia. One of Claussen's steel sculptures was erected in the Inner Court of the Charité in Berlin in 1991. His works of art have been exhibited in numerous single exhibitions since 1992. Claussen regularly gives lectures about "the connections between science and art with practical examples“. Since his formulation of the concept of Narrative Sensologism as bridging concept between science, art and philosophy in 2002, Claussen has given lectures concerning this topic. Claussen co-founded VAK in Lichtenberg in 1987 and co-founded as a vice-president the European art association "Via Europae Sculpturarum“ in 1997. In 1992, Claussen became the official artist of the Bayreuth Festival in Bayreuth with exhibiting own sculptures in the interior and the exterior of the festival theatre. Books written by Claussen about art are:
Feuer, Stahl und Logik. Über Zusammenhänge zwischen Wissenschaft und Kunst. Edition M. u. P. Rudat, Hamburg u. Neu-Isenburg 1979,
Stahlskulpturen im Berger Winkel. Stählerne Zeichen des Seins über Wasser und Land in Claussen's Eisenpark zu Eisenbühl. Bad Kissingen 2005,
Drehen-Laufen-Leben. Gedichte. Eigenverlag, Bad Kissingen
Claussen says that, "Science is impression, Art is expression, as both of those have their origin in an idea which then finds its 'form' either in the artistic work or in the scientific proof Whatever man strives for in art, science, religion and philosophy, is truth – however, how can we understand it within our limited capacities of perception?“
Inventor
As a retired professor, Claussen works on his project, a computer-aided automatically steering robot car for the elderly which monitors the occupants health and the car's roadworthiness. This invention is named after him, the "Auto-Cyberno-Mobil“, and is designed to maintain the mobility of the increased elderly population, as a consequence of demographic transition. The book written by Claussen about the "Auto-Cyberno-Mobile“ is, "'Das Auto-Cyberno-Mobil. Ein autonomes, medizinisch-technisches Straßenfahrzeug für individuelle Fahrten in der dritten Lebensphase''. Neurootologisches Forschungsinstitut der Gesellschaft zur Erforschung von Geruch-, Geschmack-, Gehör- und Gleichgewichtsstörungen, Bad Kissingen 2007,
Publications
So far, Claussen has written about 500 publications in four languages about medical-scientific-, artistic and technical subjects, among which are 33 books. Additionally, he is editor of the International Tinnitus Journal.
