102555 | GERMANY. Paul Ehrlich bronze Medal.

102555  |  GERMANY. Paul Ehrlich bronze Medal. Issued 1910. Commemorating the 56th birthday of the Nobel Prize recipient and breakthrough researcher on the treatment of syphilis (59mm, 74.13 g, 12h). By K. Goetz.

 

PAVL • EHRLICH • ÆTATIS • ANNO • LVI • MCMX, bust right in frock coat // Nude Asclepius standing left, holding staff and feeding serpent from patera; CORPORA / NON / AGVNT - NISI FIXATA (Ehrlich's maxim: a drug will not work unless it is bound) across field. Edge: Plain.

 

Kienast 43. Choice Mint State. Tan-brown surfaces, with some darker hues around the devices and an alluring matte nature.

 

Paul Ehrlich was an important German physician and scientist who contributed greatly to the field of immunology. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine in 1908 for the standardization of manufacturing anti-diphtheria serum, he actually garnered even more fame through a discovery with fellow researcher, Sahachiro Hata from Japan. This breakthrough involved arsphenamine (also known as Salvarsan or compound 606) and was the first effective treatment for syphilis. This incredibly important treatment further led to Ehrlich's concept of the "magic bullet" (i.e., the idea that it would be possible to kill a bacteria or disease within one's body by using a targeted treatment without harming the body itself), and also served as the foundation to the concept of chemotherapy. The contributions of Ehrlich and Sata cannot be understated, especially when considering the importance of public health and the medical researchers tasked with maintaining it.

 

Upload: 2 October 2023.