A Formative Influence Ein nachhaltiger Einfluss

A Formative Influence Ein nachhaltiger Einfluss

From the Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915) Collection: A Rockefeller Archive Center Web Exhibit
A Formative Influence
Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915) is one of the most important
medical scientists in the 150 years since his birth.
In several areas of research – hematology, immunology,
and chemotherapy, in particular – his influence was
formative and has remained strong over the ninety years
since his death. Ehrlich’s accomplishments were recognized
in his lifetime by the Nobel Prize (1908) and other honors,
but his legacy was rejected by his own country during the
Nazi era. The publication of his collected papers in the
1950s, and more recently the opening of his papers for
scholarly research, have restored historical consciousness
of his astonishing success and productivity.
Honorary membership letter from Academia Nacional de Medicina, Caracas, Venezuela
Most Honorable Mr. Professor:
I have the great honor of informing you that this Academy, according to a
unanimous vote, has elected you as a Foreign Corresponding Member, as a manifestation of respect for the extraordinary work you have accomplished in fundamental
chemotherapy and for putting in the hands of physicians the most powerful antisyphilitic agent.
The National Academy of Medicine of Venezuela hopes that you will deign to
accept the diploma that I have the honor to send to you by this same letter, as well as
a copy of our law and status.
I take this opportunity to present to you, the Honorable Mr. Professor, this expression of my most profound respect and consideration.
Your attentive and obedient servant, who kisses your hand, Luis Razetti
Ein nachhaltiger Einfluss
Seit seiner Geburt vor 150 Jahren (1854 - 1915) gehört
Paul Ehrlich zu den bedeutendsten medizinischen
Wissenschaftlern. Sein Einfluss auf verschiedenen
Forschungsgebieten – insbesondere Hämatologie,
Immunologie und Chemotherapie – ist heute, neunzig
Jahre nach seinem Tod, immer noch nachhaltig und
intensiv spürbar. Ehrlichs Errungenschaften wurden zu
seinen Lebzeiten durch die Verleihung des Nobelpreises
(1908) und anderer Auszeichnungen anerkannt, sein
Erbe wurde jedoch von seinem eigenen Land während
der Nazizeit abgelehnt. Die Veröffentlichung seiner
gesammelten Arbeiten in den 1950er Jahren und die vor
einigen Jahren erfolgte Freigabe seiner Schriften für Studienund Forschungszwecke haben das historische Bewusstsein
für seine außerordentlichen Leistungen und seine
bewundernswerte Produktivität wieder hergestellt.
Sehr geehrter Herr Professor!
Es ist mir eine große Ehre, Ihnen mitteilen zu dürfen, dass diese Akademie in
Anerkennung der außergewöhnlichen Arbeit, die Sie in fundamentaler Chemotherapie geleistet haben sowie dafür, dass Sie den Ärzten das wirksamste Mittel
zur Bekämpfung der Syphilis gegeben haben, Sie einstimmig zum “Foreign
Corresponding Member” (Ausländischen Korrespondierenden Mitglied) ernannt hat.
Die Staatliche Akademie der Medizin von Venezuela hofft, dass Sie sich bereit erklären, die Ernennungsurkunde anzunehmen, welche ich die Ehre habe, Ihnen hiermit mit gleicher Post zuzusenden, gemeinsam mit einer Abschrift unserer Statuten.
Erlauben Sie mir bei dieser Gelegenheit, geehrter Herr Professor, Ihnen meinen
tiefsten Respekt und meine Hochachtung auszusprechen.
Ihr aufmerksamster und gehorsamster Diener, der Ihnen die Hand küßt,
Luis Razetti
Honorary membership letter from The Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Paul Ehrlich in later years.
Paul Ehrlich im fortgeschrittenen Alter.
Certificate of Nobel Prize awarded to Paul Ehrlich “in recognition of his work
in immunology,” 1908.
Zertifikat des Paul Ehrlich “in Anerkennung seiner Arbeit auf dem Gebiet der
Immunologie” verliehenen Nobelpreises, 1908.
The Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
(Gesellschaft für Tropenmedizin und Gesundheitspflege)
20, Hanover Square
London, W.
9. Juli 1907
An den Geheimen Medizinal-Rath Professor Dr. Paul Ehrlich Frankfurt/Main
Sehr geehrter Herr Professor!
Es ist uns eine Ehre, Ihnen mitteilen zu dürfen, dass Sie beim letzten Treffen des
Rates der Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene einstimmig zum Ehrenmitglied
gewählt wurden.
Wir erlauben uns hiermit, eine Abschrift der Statuten beizulegen und würden
uns sehr freuen, wenn Sie die Ehrenmitgliedschaft in der Gesellschaft annehmen.
Mit vorzüglicher Hochachtung
(Unterschrift)
Präsident
Excellence Ehrlich’s Reception at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. (1) Privy Councilor
Ehrlich; (2) his Wife; (3) Professor Metschnikow; (4) Dr. Roux.
(2 Unterschriften) Schriftführer
Documents reproduced in the exhibit are from the Paul Ehrlich Collection at the Rockefeller Archive Center and may not be reproduced without permission of the Center.
Childhood and Education
Paul Ehrlich was born in modern Strzelin, Poland
(then Strehlen, Prussia) in 1854. His family was of Jewish
heritage, but he attended a Catholic gymnasium in
Breslau. Limitations on Jewish attendance at German
universities ended in 1871, and Ehrlich enrolled at Breslau
University in 1872. His studies took him to Strausbourg,
Freiburg and Leipzig before completing his doctorate in
1875. He passed the state medical examination in 1877.
School Admission Record and Report Card
Kindheit und Ausbildung
Paul Ehrlich kam 1854 im heutigen Strzelin in Polen
(vormals Strehlen, Preußen) auf die Welt. Seine Familie
war jüdischer Herkunft, Ehrlich besuchte jedoch ein
katholisches Gymnasium in Breslau. Nachdem die
Beschänkungen für jüdische Studenten zum Studium
an deutschen Universitäten 1871 aufgehoben wurden,
immatrikulierte Ehrlich 1872 an der Universität Breslau.
Sein Studium führte ihn nach Strassburg, Freiburg und
Leipzig. 1875 erhielt er sein Doktorat; 1877 legte er das
Staatsexamen ab.
Paul Ehrlich,
born in Strehlen on March 14, 1854, Son of H.C. Ehrlich, merchant, of Jewish faith,
was admitted on October 8, 1864, to the 6th grade (1.) of the St. Maria Magdalena Gymnasium
(Secondary School) in Breslau. The intermediate school students receive report cards at Easter, on the
feast days of St. John and St. Michael, and at Christmas; the other secondary school students receive their
report cards on Shrove Tuesday, at Easter, Pentecost, the Canicular Days, on the feast days of St. Michael
and St. Martin, and at Christmas; the elementary school students receive report cards every three weeks.
The parents, guardians and/or caretakers are requested to sign the report cards as soon as possible and to
enjoin the students to present them duly and return them to school the next school day.
The various grades are typically expressed in one of the following terms:
I. Effort, Attention, and Performance
II. Conduct
1) Excellent
1) Excellent
2) Good
2) Good
3) Satisfactory
3) With Reprimand
4) Unsatisfactory
4) Deficient
5) Inadequate
5) Poor
St. Maria Magdalena Secondary School
Paul Ehrlich, age ten, and his sister Berta, c. 1864.
Der zehnjährige Paul Ehrlich und seine Schwester Berta,
ca. 1864.
Student ID: 50.9.7.9
1. Conduct
2. Effort and Attentio
3. Performances
Religious Instruction
German
Latin
Greek
Good
Good
Satisfactory
Good
1864
French
Hebrew
History
Geography
Overall Satisfactory
Mathematics
Satisfactory
Natural Science Good
Penmanship
Unsatisfactory
Drawing
Unsatisfactory
Singing
Good
Physical Education -4. Special Remarks --
Breslau, November 4, 1864
The Homeroom Teacher
The Principal
of the 6th Grade (1.)
(Signature)
Signed: John
Signature of Parent or Representative: Signed: I. Ehrlich
Documents reproduced in the exhibit are from the Paul Ehrlich Collection at the Rockefeller Archive Center and may not be reproduced without permission of the Center.
Laboratory Research
Forschungsarbeiten
Ehrlich was drawn to the laboratory rather than to medical
practice. His first appointment, to the Charité Hospital, Berlin,
provided the opportunity to study blood cells microscopically by
staining them with aniline dyes. Later he extended his work
with stains to analyzing nerve cells and to providing evidence
of certain biochemical processes.
Ehrlich fühlte sich raehr zur Forschung hingezogen als zur
medizinischen Praxis. Seine erste Berufung an die Berliner
Charité bot ihm die Möglichkeit, Blutzellen unter dem
Mikroskop durch Färbung mit Anilinfarben zu beobachten.
Später erweiterte er seine Arbeit mit Färbungstechniken auf
die I Analyse von Nervenzellen und den Nachweis bestimmter
biochemischer Vorgänge.
Ehrlich had a private laboratory, 1889-1890, then worked at
the Institute for Infectious Diseases (Berlin) from 1891 to 1894.
He was appointed to Robert Koch’s Institute in 1895, was made
director of the Institut für Serumsforschung und Serumsprüfung and finally became director of the Royal Prussian
Institute for Experimental Therapy in 1899.
His work in these years and the beginning of the 20th century
focused on the mechanisms of immunology. He studied
diphtheria, cancers, tetanus and syphilis. He developed his
side-chain theory to explain the action of anti-toxins.
Von 1889 bis 1890 arbeitete Ehrlich in seinem eigenen
Laboratorium, von 1891 bis 1894 war er am Institut für Infekt
ionskra heiten in Berlin tätig. 1895 wurde er an das Robert
Kochs Institut berufen, wurde dann Leiter des Instituts für
Serumforschung und Serumprüfung und schließlich 1899
Leiter des Königlich-Preußischen Instituts für experimentelle
Therapie in Frankfurt-Main.
Seine Arbeiten während dieser Jahre und zu Beginn des 20.
Jahrhunderts konzentrierten sich auf die Mechanismen der
Immunologie. Er untersuchte Diphtherie, Karzinome, Tetanus
und Syphilis und entwickelte seine, Seitenkettentheorie zur
Erklärung der Wirkungsweise von Antitoxinen.
A sketch by Ehrlich showing nerve cells
stained with methylene blue, 1885.
Eine Skizze von Ehrlich aus dem Jahre
1885, wie er die methylenblau
gefärbten Nervenzellen sah, 1885.
Privy Council Ehrlich and his Japanese Student, Dr. Hata.
We, Wilhelm,
By the Grace of God
King of Prussia, etc.:
Herewith proclaim and announce that we have most graciously deigned to bestow upon
Dr. Paul Ehrlich, Guest Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Friedrich-Wilhelm
University in Berlin, and Director of the Institute of Serum Research and Testing, the
Title of Geheimer Medizinal-Rath (Privy Medical Councilor). We are confident that he
will maintain his devotion and unswerving loyalty to Us and Our Royal House and that
he will always perform his duties with great diligence. In return, he shall have our highest protection for the enjoyment of the privileges granted him by this Title.
In witness thereof, We have personally executed these Letters Patent and caused Our
Royal Seal to be placed hereunder.
Issued at the Neue Palais on December 23, 1896.
Paul Ehrlich, Berlin, 1889.
Paul Ehrlich in his office in the Frankfurt/Main Institute for
Experimental Therapy approximately at the time Salvarsan
was discovered.
Arbeitszimmer Paul Ehrlichs im Frankfurter Institut für
experimentelle Therapie. Zeit der Salvarsan Entdeckung.
Letters Patent
for Geheimer Medizinal-Rath
(Privy Medical Councilor)
Dr. Paul Ehrlich, Guest Professor at the Faculty
of Medicine of the Friedrich-Wilhelm University
in Berlin, and Director of the Institute of
Serum Research and Testing.
Documents reproduced in the exhibit are from the Paul Ehrlich Collection at the Rockefeller Archive Center and may not be reproduced without permission of the Center.
The Magic Bullets
His detailed knowledge of immunology allowed Ehrlich to turn
to searching for chemicals that would act on specific diseases or,
as he put it “magic bullets which would seek their target of
their own accord.” In 1910 he announced that he had developed
an arsenic compound, which he named Salvarsan, that had
demonstrated a curative effect on syphilis. In the remaining
five years of his life Ehrlich worked to improve Salvarsan and
to develop other chemotherapies.
Die magischen Kugeln
Ehrlichs genaue Kenntnis de Immunologie erlaubte es ihm,
sich der Suche nach chemischen Substanzen zu widmen, die af
spezifische Krankheiten wirken würden, bzw. nach „ magischen
Kugeln”, wie er sie rannte, „ die von selbst nach ihrem Ziel
suchen würden”. 1910 gab er die Entwicklung einer Arsenver
indung bekannt, der er den Namen Salvarsan gab und die eine
heilende Wirkung bei der Syphilis gezeigt hatte. In den letzten
fünf Jahren seines Lebens arbeitete Ehrlich an der erbesserung
von Salvarsan und der Entwicklung weiterer Chemotherapien.
Newspaper Clipping, c. 1910
Zeitungsausschnitt von, ca. 1910
The History of Formula 606 It has already been pointed
out in an earlier article on Ehrlich’s chemotherapy
in issue No. 1085 of this paper that effective therapies and
drugs are only rarely discovered by accident and that even
Professor Ehrlich’s syphilis drug, which gained fame so
quickly, is only the last link in a long chain of arduous
tests and experiments. To follow the progress of these
research activities and retrace the many small steps taken
by science along the way is particularly interesting when
looking at the example of arsenobenzol, since the efforts
undertaken in this direction have reached some sort of
closure with the validation of the extraordinary effectiveness of this drug. The chemotherapeutic tests, which
ultimately led to the discovery of Formula 606, go back to
the Winter of 1906/07, and are closely linked to the name
Uhlenhuth. At the time, Professor Uhlenhuth, the
deserving founder of the famous blood differentiation
method, stated at the Imperial Health Office that the
dourine of horses caused by trypanosomes could be
permanently cured with atoxyl, an arsenic compound.
This observation prompted him to investigate more
thoroughly the effects of this substance on other protozoal
diseases, in particular on spirochetoses. It turned out that
the so-called spirillosis of chickens, caused by a pathogenic agent quite similar in some respects to that of
syphilis, is also affected quite favorably by atoxyl. Animals
which already showed severe symptoms of the disease and
might otherwise have died within a short period of time
were able to run and eat just a few hours following the
administration of the drug, and were cured soon
thereafter. Indeed, the researcher even succeeded, with the
use of atoxyl, to protect already infected chickens from
getting the disease. It seemed logical to use the knowledge
thus gained for human spirochetoses, recurring fever and
syphilis as well. Extensive animal experiments conducted
upon the initiative of Uhlenhuth confirm the specific
effect of atoxyl on spirochetes. This effect showed itself
quite clearly in the successful treatment of severe
syphilitic eye inflammations of infected rabbits.
Unfortunately, the hope that these positive experiences
could be replicated for humans suffering from syphilis
turned out to be false. Although the therapeutic effect of
the drug was undeniable and in some cases at least as
powerful as that of mercury, a closer examination
revealed that the sensitivity of the human organism to
atoxyl was relatively much greater than that of animals.
The use of this substance is so dangerous to the nervous
system in particular that it is contraindicated for the
treatment of syphilis, for which we already have mercury
as a proven treatment option. Still, the spirillicidal power
of atoxyl was so obvious that its negative aspects did not
cause the substance to be abandoned and the whole
matter dropped. Rather, atoxyl became the starting point
for other arsenic compounds of similar composition,
in the hope that it might perhaps be possible through
chemical alteration to gain a less toxic drug with the
properties of atoxyl that are so valuable to the physician.
These efforts, pursued also by Professor Ehrlich with great
zeal, gave birth to “Formula 606”. The fact that atoxyl
rapidly kills trypanosomes and spirochetes in the living
organism, but does not affect these small organisms in
the test tube, led Ehrlich to the astute conclusion that
atoxyl changes in a certain manner in the animal body,
namely through reduction, and only then becomes
capable of killing the dangerous parasites. This assumption correctly prompted the researcher to create such
arsenic compounds and to evaluate their efficiency in the
desired context. And that’s where Ehrlich hit the jackpot.
However, Uhlenhuth and his collaborators deserve credit
for having contributed, through their important, basic
research efforts, to the discovery of a therapeutic drug
which seems to be destined unlike any other to render
invaluable service in our fight against one of the most
dangerous epidemics of humankind.
Cover of sheet music for a cabaret song, “La Formule 606,” Paris, c. 1918.
The exaggerated image of an advanced, untreated syphilis sufferer “before
the innoculation” (left) is contrasted with a healthy individual who
presumably was infected but cured by the administration of “606,”
or salvarsan (right).
Titelseite der Notenblätter für das Kabarett-Chanson “La Formule 606”,
Paris, ca. 1918. Die übertriebene Abbildung eines an fortgeschrittener,
unbehandelter Syphilis leidenden Menschen “vor der Impfung” (links)
steht in starkem Kontrast zu der eines gesunden, vermutlich infizierten,
jedoch durch die Verabreichung von “606” oder Salvarsan geheilten
Menschen (rechts).
A view of Paul Ehrlich’s laboratory, undated, but possibly around 1910.
Ein Blick in Paul Ehrlichs Laboratorium, nicht datiert, möglicherweise
um 1910.
Ideas on Ehrlich’s mind, c. 1910.
Themen die Ehrlich beschäftigten, ca. 1910.
Documents reproduced in the exhibit are from the Paul Ehrlich Collection at the Rockefeller Archive Center and may not be reproduced without permission of the Center.
Paul Ehlich’s Papers
Paul Ehrlichs Arbeiten
Paul Ehrlich’s papers were maintained by his wife, Hedwig,
and his secretary, Martha Marquart, after his death. From the
beginning of the Nazi era Ehrlich and his accomplishments
were at first derided along with those of numerous other scientists
of Jewish heritage. By the late 1930s in Germany and in Germancontrolled regions Ehrlich’s publications were burned and
evidence of his accomplishments was eradicated from German
histories of science and medicine.
Paul Ehrlichs Schriften wurden nach seinem Tod von seiner
Frau Hedwig und seiner Sekretärin Martha Marquart verwaltet.
Mit Beginn der Nazizeit wurden Ehrlich und seine Leistungen
sowie die zahlreicher anderer Wissenschaftler jüdischer Herkunft
zunächst verhöhnt. In den späten 1930er Jahren wurden Ehrlichs
Veröffentlichungen in Deutschland und den unter deutscher
Kontrolle stehenden Gebieten verbrannt und Hinweise auf seine
Leistungen aus den wissenschaftlichen und medizinischen
Geschichtsbüchern entfernt.
When Hedwig Ehrlich left Germany in 1939, first for France, then
for England and finally the United States, she left her husband’s
papers behind. At the end of World War II Ehrlich’s papers were
retrieved and taken to London, where they were kept at the
Wellcome Library. There, Fred Himmelweit edited the Collected
Papers of Paul Ehrlich, published in three volumes (1956-1960).
In 1978 Paul Ehrlich’s grandson, Günther Schwerin, transferred
the Ehrlich papers to the Rockefeller University in New York City.
He added to the papers letters and documents collected by Martha
Marquart and some papers of the Ehrlich family. In the 1990s the
complete Paul Ehrlich collection was opened to scholars for research.
Researchers who want to examine the Paul Ehrlich Collection
should contact the Rockefeller Archive Center.
Als Hedwig Ehrlich 1939 Deutschland verließ und sich zuerst nach
Frankreich, dann nach England und schließlich in die USA begab,
ließ sie die Schriften ihres Mannes zurück. Am Ende des 2. eltkrieges
wurden diese ausfindig gemacht, nach London gebracht und in
der Wellcome-Bibliothek aufbewahrt. Fred Himmelweit gab dort die
Gesammelten Schriften von Paul Ehrlich in drei Bänden heraus
(1956 - 1960).
1978 übergab Paul Ehrlichs Enkel Günther Schwerin die
Ehrlich-Schriften an die Rockefeller-Universität in New York.
Er fügte die von Martha Marquart gesammelten Briefe und
Dokumente sowie weitere Dokumente der Ehrlich-Familie hinzu.
In den 1990er Jahren wurde die komplette Paul Ehrlich-Sammlung
für Gelehrte und Forscher zugänglich gemacht.
Paul Ehrlich and his wife, Hedwig, Berlin, c. 1910.
Paul Erhlich und seine Frau Hedwig, Berlin, ca. 1910
Tokyo, May 7, 1908
Esteemed Privy Councilor:
With this letter I am taking the liberty to highly
recommend Dr. Kurimoto to you and am asking
you to please assist him in any way possible.
With best wishes,
Yours most faithfully,
S. Kitasato
(Shibasaburo Kitasato, bacteriologist)
To Medical Privy Councilor Professor Dr. Ehrlich
Berlin, May 31, 1900
Dear and Esteemed Friend:
Thank you very much for your kind note of the 26th of this month, as well as
the interesting documentation. I am extremely pleased that you have such
great success and wish you with all my heart continued progress with your very
important work.
With my utmost respect and devotion,
Althoff
(Friedrich Althoff, Prussian Minister of Education)
(Friedrich Altoff, preußischer Bildungsminister)
ROCKEFELLER
ARCHIVE CENTER
Documents reproduced in this exhibit are from the Paul Ehrlich Collection at the Rockefeller Archive Center of the Rockefeller University.
Die für diese Ausstellung reproduzierten Dokumente stammen aus der Paul Ehrlich-Sammlung des Rockefeller Archive Center der Rockefeller-Universität.
Exhibit Design: Mitelman Associates, Tarrytown, New York, USA
Ausstellungsentwurf: Mitelman Associates, Tarrytown, New York, USA
English text; French and Spanish translations: Dr. Darwin H. Stapleton,
Rockefeller Archive Center/Rockefeller University, USA
Englischer Text; französische und spanische Übersetzungen: Dr. Darwin H. Stapleton, Rockefeller Archive Center/Rockefeller Universität, USA
German text; German translations: Dr. Rudolph Snowadzky, University of Maine, USA
Deutscher Text; deutsche Übersetzungen: Prof. Dr. Rudolph Snowadzky, Universität Maine, USA
Editorial Assistance: Ms. Norine Goodnough, Rockefeller Archive Center, USA
Redaktionelle Unterstützung: Frau Norine Goodnough, Rockefeller Archive Center, USA
Paris, March 8, 1904
My dear Professor,
Thank you for your gracious present.
I am happy to acknowledge receipt of a volume
of your works and those of your students.
I thank you equally for your letter and I
trustfully await the response that you will have
from S[imon] Flexner.
Please accept, my dear Professor, this
expression of my most respectful and devoted
thoughts.
M. Nicolle
(Charles J. M. Nicolle,
bacteriologist)
Paris, 8 März, 1904
Mein liebenswerter Herr Professor:
Vielen Dank für Ihr gütiges Geschenk.
Ich teile Ihnen mit Freude den Erhalt eines
Bandes Ihrer Werke sowie der Ihrer Studenten
mit. Ich danke Ihnen auch für Ihren Brief und
warte zuversichtlich auf die Antwort, die Ihnen
von S[imon] Flexner zugehen wird.
Ich verbleibe, liebenswerter Herr Professor,
mit dem Ausdruck der vorzüglichsten
Hochachtung.
M. Nicolle
(Charles J. M. Nicolle,
Bakteriologe)
Documents reproduced in the exhibit are from the Paul Ehrlich Collection at the Rockefeller Archive Center and may not be reproduced without permission of the Center.