Paul Ehrlich
1854-1915
German Bacteriologist
Paul Ehrlich was a German bacteriologist who made tremendous contributions to medical science in the areas of immunology, hematology, and pathology. Although he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1908 in conjunction with Elie Metchnikoff (1845-1916) in recognition of their work in immunology, he is best known as the pioneer of chemotherapy. He created the first successful treatment for syphilis. In another noteworthy accomplishment, Ehrlich put forth the side-chain theory, becoming the first person to attempt to correlate the chemical structure of a synthetic drug with its biological effects.
Paul Ehrlich was born in Germany on March 14, 1854, into a family of Jewish faith. His father was prominent in business and industry, while his mother was the aunt of exceptional bacteriologist and scientist Karl Weigert. His early education was at the Gymnasium at Breslau. Following that, he attended various institutions, which culminated in his completion of the doctorate of medicine degree at the University of Leipzig in 1878. The subject of his dissertation concentrated on the theory and methods of staining animal tissues, a practice he revolutionized during his lifetime.
After graduation, he was given an appointment at the Berlin Medical Clinic, where he continued researching tissue staining. During this time, Ehrlich demonstrated that all the stains could be classified as being acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on its properties. He also studied the effect dyes had on cells in the blood, which laid the foundation for hematology. Ehrlich studied the tuberculosis bacterium and published a staining method in 1882 that is still used today with only minor modifications. This paper was also significant in that it paved the way for the Gram method of staining bacteria that is widely used in modern medicine to help differentiate between certain types of microorganisms. In 1883 Ehrlich married Hedwig Pinkus, and they subsequently had two daughters.
Ehrlich's reputation as a skilled researcher allowed him to move up quickly through the hierarchy of German science, despite a bout with tuberculosis that forced Ehrlich to interrupt his work and travel to Egypt for treatment. He returned to Berlin in 1889 when the disease had arrested permanently. Ehrlich was appointed as assistant to Robert Koch (1843-1910), who was the director of the newly established Institute for Infectious Diseases in 1890. It was there that Ehrlich began a series of immunilogical studies for which he will always be remembered. The working hypothesis that Ehrlich developed was called the side-chain theory. He believed each cell consisted of a protein center surrounded by a series of side chains that are responsible for absorbing nutrients as well as toxins. If a toxin were to attach to a cell, the cell would produce large amounts of immune side chain bodies gauged to prevent a new infection.
Ehrlich recognized the limitations of the treatment therapies at that time and started experimenting with substances not normally found in nature that could kill or retard growth in parasites. For this, Ehrlich is often considered to be the father of chemotherapy. He worked primarily with arsenic compounds that could be effective against disease, yet have little side effects. After testing nearly 1,000 compounds, Ehrlich directed his colleague, Sahachiro Hata, to go back and retest the effectiveness of compound #606 against syphilis. It was found effective and was eventually marketed as a cure for syphilis as Salvarsan. This drug had a profound effect on Alexander Fleming (1881-1955), who, after administering it to patients, set out to find similar cures for bacterial diseases and subsequently discovered penicillin.
Ehrlich suffered a stroke in December of 1914. The following year, Ehrlich died of a second stroke, leaving a legacy of tremendous scientific achievement.
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