Paul Ehrlich

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Lore & Background

He contracted tuberculosis in the laboratory and traveled to Egypt and other countries in 1888–1889 to recover. Ehrlich signed the Manifesto of the Ninety-Three in 1914.

Reader's Guide

Paul Ehrlich's significance lies in his foundational contributions to multiple medical fields. He shared the 1908 Nobel Prize for work on immunity, but his most celebrated achievement was the 1909 discovery of Salvarsan, the first targeted antimicrobial drug, which initiated the concept of chemotherapy. He also introduced the idea of a 'magic bullet'—a drug that selectively targets a pathogen. In hematology, his staining techniques allowed differentiation of white blood cells and identification of red blood cell precursors, enabling diagnosis of blood diseases. He developed a method for standardizing therapeutic serums and contributed to an antiserum for diphtheria. His modification of Gram staining remains a standard technique. The bacterial genus Ehrlichia is named after him. His work bridged chemistry, biology, and medicine, though it initially faced resistance from the medical establishment. His legacy endures in modern chemotherapy, immunology, and diagnostic hematology.

Did You Know?

• Ehrlich discovered mast cells, naming them from the German word for animal-fattening feed, Mast.
• He developed a dry specimen technique for staining blood cells using a Bunsen burner.
• His laboratory discovered Salvarsan, the first antimicrobial drug, in 1909.
• The Paul Ehrlich Institute was renamed in his honor in 1947.