Contents
Paul Ehrlich
Pioneering immunology and developing Salvarsan, an early targeted treatment for syphilis.
Bacterial staining · Side-chain theory
- Born
- 14 March 1854
- Birthplace
- Strehlen, Prussia (now Strzelin, Poland)
- Died
- 20 August 1915
More people
Paul Ehrlich
Paul Ehrlich was a German physician whose experiments connected chemical dyes, immunity and drug development. He shared the 1908 medicine Nobel with Ilya Mechnikov.
Early life
Silesian childhood
Grew up in Strehlen and attended school in Breslau.
Medical training
Studied at several German universities, completing a medical doctorate in 1878.
Career
- 1878
Berlin clinic
Began hospital research into tissue and blood-cell staining.
- 1896
Serum testing
Directed a new institute standardising therapeutic sera.
- 1899
Frankfurt laboratory
Led the Institute for Experimental Therapy and later the Georg-Speyer-Haus.
Contributions
Bacterial staining
Developed a staining method for the tuberculosis bacillus.
Side-chain theory
Proposed a chemical explanation for antibody responses.
Salvarsan
With Sahachiro Hata, introduced an arsenic-based syphilis treatment.
Beyond the lab
Family
Married Hedwig Pinkus in 1883; they had two daughters.
Recovery abroad
Spent an extended period in Egypt after developing tuberculosis.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Further source ↗Identity and date cross-check ↗Photo: Harris & Ewing. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
