Paul Ehrlich

From Ganfyd

German folklore has the original magic bullet, enchanted and unable to miss its mark. It was later a feature of an opera - Der Freischütz (1821). (WP)

Worked with Robert Koch and came up with a postulate of his own - observing differential staining of different bacteria and of different components of eukaryotic cells, he speculated that if a dye chemical could bind to one cell and not another or to one substance within a cell and not others, perhaps you could find chemicals that would selectively kill certain pathogens without harming the surrounding host cells; this would act like a magic bullet.

He looked for a magic bullet to cure syphilis, which was a significant problem in the late 19th century. Over many years he made extensive and systematic tests and finally in 1910 found one he named Salvarsan (Arsphenamine) or compound 606 which had reasonably specific toxicity.

This work was fundamental to the development of antibiotics and other chemotherapeutic agents.

External Links

• A Brief History of Microbiology Dr. R. E. Hurlbert, 1999.
• Wikipedia:Paul_Ehrlich