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Emil von Behring

Immunologists and Infectious Disease Specialists

Emil von Behring was a German physiologist and physician who, working alongside Kitasato Shibasaburo at Robert Koch's Imperial Health Office in 1890, developed serum therapy, immunizing animals against diphtheria and tetanus toxins and then using their antibody-rich serum to treat afflicted patients. By 1894, refined production methods made human trials of diphtheria antitoxin dramatically successful against a disease that had been a leading cause of childhood death, and Behring went on to found a pharmaceutical company to manufacture the treatment at scale. In 1901 he received the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ever awarded, specifically for his work on serum therapy and its application against diphtheria.

Facts
Birth Year
1854 1
Birth Date
1854-03-15 2
Death Year
1917 3
Death Date
1917-03-31 2
Connections

Discoveries

Discovery of the Diphtheria Antitoxin, Discoveries

Specialist In

Immunology, Medical Specialties

Emil von Behring developed diphtheria antitoxin and is called the father of serotherapy.

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikidata: Emil von Behring
  • Wikidata Q76425, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Wikidata P569 (w-bbfill-medicine3-0926)
View the Source
2. Wikipedia: Emil von Behring
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Infobox, Born row
    Adolf Emil Behring (1854-03-15)15 March 1854 Hansdorf, Kreis Rosenberg in Westpreußen, Province of Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Confederation (now Poland)
  • Infobox, Died row
    31 March 1917(1917-03-31) (aged 63) Marburg, Hesse-Nassau, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
View the Source
3. Emil Adolf von Behring, Famous Scientists
  • Biography, birth sentence
    Emil Adolf Behring was born on 15 March 1854 in Hansdorf, Germany.
  • Biography, death sentence
    Emil Adolf von Behring died on 31 March 1917.
View the Source
Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Emil von Behring receive the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine?

In 1901 Behring received the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ever awarded, specifically for his work on serum therapy and its application against diphtheria. He had developed serum therapy in 1890, working alongside Kitasato Shibasaburo at Robert Koch's Imperial Health Office, by immunizing animals against diphtheria and tetanus toxins and then using their antibody-rich serum to treat afflicted patients. By 1894 refined production methods made human trials of diphtheria antitoxin dramatically successful against a disease that had been a leading cause of childhood death.
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