PAUL EHRLICH

 PAUL EHRLICH

·       Paul Ehrlich was the German Medical Scientist.

·    Paul Ehrlich is one of the most famous pioneer of the fields of Hematology, Immunology, Pharmacology, Histology, Oncology and Chemotherapy.

·       Paul Ehrlich showed that all the Dyes used could be classified as being Basic, Acid or Neutral and his work on the Staining and differentiation of Granules in Blood cells (distinguished Leukocytes from Neutrophils, Basophils and Eosinophils) laid the foundations of Haematology and the Staining of tissues.

·  In 1882, Paul Ehrlich published his method of Staining the Tubercle bacillus (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) (Acid fast staining) that Robert Koch had discovered and this method was the basis of the subsequent modifications introduced by Ziehl and Neelson, which are still used today.

·       While developing new methods for the staining of live tissue, Ehrlich discovered the uses of Methylene blue in the treatment of nervous disorders.  

·   Paul Ehrlich developed his “Side-Chain Theory” (1897) and subsequently a “Receptor - Ligand Concept”.

·    Paul Ehrlich also worked hard in the field of Passive Immunotherapy. For example, he contributed greatly to the development of an effective Antiserum against Diphtheria and to the approach of producing standardized Therapeutic Serum-Fractions. The successful approach to standardizing biologically active substances was a great breakthrough that supported the development of Immunotherapies.

·    In 1902, Paul Ehrlich and his Japanese colleague Kiyoshi Shiga explore the therapeutic potential of different dyes. In 1904, their treatment with Trypan red stain was successful in mice infected with Trypanosoma equinum (Sleeping Sickness). Unfortunately, some Trypanosomes developed resistance to the dye and eventually killed the host animal. Experiments in other animals, such as rats and dogs, were likewise unsuccessful. Nevertheless, this work spurred Ehrlich's incessant search for compounds with antimicrobial properties, and he next turned to organic arsenic derivatives.

·   In 1908, Paul Ehrlich received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine together with Elie Metchnikoff for their work and basic insights into Immunological Defense Mechanisms. Both concepts formed the basis of Humoral and Cellular Immunology. In particular, Paul Ehrlich was propagating a ‘Molecular Serum Theory' and Elie Metchnikoff a ‘Cell-Phagocytosis Theory'.

·     In 1909, Paul Ehrlich synthesized a series of specific Antimicrobial drugs, the most famous example being Arsphenamine (Salvarsan), the first Synthetic agent against Syphilis. Paul Ehrlich is considered as the Founder of Chemotherapy.

·      Due to the huge success of this drug, Paul Ehrlich was able to popularize his new concept of a ‘Magic Bullet' (‘Zauberkugel'), a drug specifically targeting a particular pathogen without affecting normal host cells.

·       A genus of Rickettsiales bacteria, Ehrlichia , is named after him.