Bacteriology

Robert Koch

Mega-success in the micro-world

When herds of livestock were stricken by a dangerous disease throughout Europe in 1870, Robert Koch, a country doctor from Posen, decided to search for the cause.

He saved a large proportion of his money to buy a microscope and examined the animal substances for possible pathogens. He soon made a find. Bacteria were the cause of the disease. With this discovery, Koch founded a new branch of science: bacteriology. Whether epidemics or gangrene: the new findings were a call to battle against many infectious diseases and advanced hygiene as the foundation of human health. The discovery of the tuberculosis bacillus in 1882 brought international fame to Robert Koch and drove the scientist to further studies. His commitment to combating epidemics took Koch around the world.

(Information taken from German Stars – 50 innovations, produced by the Federal Foreign Office, the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, Invest in Germany and the Goethe Institut.)