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Born in Strehlen, Lower Silesia, the German Kingdom of Prussia
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Awarded a doctorate in Medicine from the ‘University of Leipzig’. He then was hired as the head physician at a major hospital in Berlin
At the hospital, he invented a new way to stain tissue samples that allowed doctors to see and identify the tuberculosis bacillus for the first time. Also at the hospital, he began using methylene blue to successfully treat neurological disorders suffered by his patients. -
'The Requirement of the Organism for Oxygen'
Starting in 1879, and continuing through 1885, Ehrlich published 37 different scientific papers on cellular biology. The last, 'The Requirement of the Organism for Oxygen', was his magnum opus on understanding how cells process oxygen, a vital function of mammalian biology. -
he successfully completed his in-house clinical and academic training at the Charite medical school and teaching hospital in Berlin. He then traveled to Egypt to continue independent studies in the field of virology.
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he went to work for the ‘Berlin Institute of Infectious Diseases’. Two years later, while working at the Institute, Ehrlich and his fellow scientists made important breakthroughs in developing vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus.
This work on diphtheria would later lead to a Nobel Prize in Medicine for one of his colleagues, an award that Ehrlich felt he should've also received. -
the Institute founded a new branch, the ‘Institute for Serum Research and Testing’, specifically for Ehrlich's specialization, with him named as its founding director.
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Ehrlich developed his now-famous side-chain theory that led to breakthrough developments in serology and human immunology. Much of this work would later lead to his Nobel Prize winning discovery.
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the government criticized him for spending too much government money on his research, and so he turned to private funding to continue.
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Ehrlich helped contribute to the discovery of Salvarsan, the first drug specifically designed to treat syphilis.
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Dies
Bad Homburg, Hesse, in Germany. He was laid to rest in Frankfurt-am-Main's Jewish cemetery. His tombstone is a tourist destination for scientists even today.