If you are a science major student, then at some point you must
have studied about different infectious diseases, including cholera and
tuberculosis. Well, now you get a chance to meet the man who is behind these
breakthrough discoveries about infectious diseases, Robert Koch. If you are not
a science student, then after reading this post you will have great knowledge
about inventions of an extremely talented German physician.
Belonging to a poor mining family, Robert Koch’s journey to
medical school was not an easy one. But his keen interest in biology during
high school kept him going in his pursuit in a career in science. When he
finally made his way to medical college, he realized that he had a deep
interest in the biological branch of infectious diseases. He spent his entire
life studying different infectious diseases and is highly accredited for his
works in the field of microbiology and bacteriology. In 1872, he won a NobelPrize for his work on bacteria.
Koch spent most of his time and effort on the study of
tuberculosis. His aim was to somehow isolate the disease’s cause. There were
several opinions about the agent being infectious, but no one had been able to
identify the actual causative agent. It was Koch who discovered the bacterium tubercle
bacillus as the main agent responsible for developing tuberculosis and
confirmed its presence in the tissues of both animals and humans.
In 1882, it was formally announced before the Physiological
Society of Berlin that Koch had isolated the bacteria that was responsible for
the deadly disease that has been the leading cause of death for centuries. He had
found the germ behind the most feared disease- tuberculosis.
Although he still couldn’t discover how exactly this disease
spread from one person to another, but he was able to identify that “bad air”
played a very important part. Years later, scientists and doctors now know
exactly how tuberculosis disease spreads via air droplets of an infected person
to a non infected person, but it was Koch who laid down the basic foundation of
not only the disease but also its mode of transmission.
Robert Koch’s work on infectious diseases was so important
that soon afterwards his discovery of tubercle bacillus, the German government
set up “Institute of Infectious Diseases” in Berlin whose entire purpose was
the further study and cure of tuberculosis. This medical research institute
plays a fundamental role in the future for many other great discoveries related
to tuberculosis.
Koch’s findings were a great inspiration for many young scientists
and researchers who began to build on his work. He left a legacy behind- he developed research techniques that others still use throughout the world. It can
truly be said Robert Koch is the father of microbiology.
References:
Sakula. A. (1983). Robert Koch: Centenary of the Discovery of the Tubercle Bacillus, 1882, The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 24 (4) 127-131
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It's great to get a little knowledge on the background of such a deadly disease. I think a lot of people are unaware of the background of tuberculosis as well as a lot of diseases. It's people like Robert Koch that do not get recognized very often for what he discovered. If it wasn't for Koch we may not know what tuberculosis is! Interesting read!
ReplyDeleteI had to read about Koch because as a biology major I have heard his name mentioned in numerous classes. I also know he is the father of modern bacteriology. I like his rise from nothing story. It really shows that no matter your background, you can amount to great things. He played not only a major role here, but in other aspects of science as well. He is also a high contributor in the research of anthrax, so it just goes to show how many different areas he impacts on. As scientists it is people like this we have to look up to because they lay the foundations for important discoveries and it is important to know who they are. Great read.
ReplyDeleteI guess I don’t think about these discoveries occurring such a relatively short time ago. This was a very enlightening summary about Koch and his discovery. Well done! I wonder what it was that made him look at that particular bacterium and how he concluded that it was spread through bad air. It’s crazy to think about how far we’ve come since then and that someday the discoveries being made right now are going to be laying the foundation for future scientists to build on!
ReplyDeleteComputer Science major here; never studied about infectious disease but this blog has me interested. Koch sounds like someone everyone can admire, throughout all science fields. This post was great at describing his achievements, but it left me with so many questions. I wanted to know how he discovered the bacterium that caused tuberculosis, and how he come to the conclusion that bad aid had something to do with the spread of it. If I get the time I’ll look into it. The link you provided to the Nobel prize page was great too. Koch’s quote on that page about 1 in 7, or up to 1/3 (depending how you look at it) of the people die from tuberculosis was an eye opener. I had no idea it use to be that big of a problem.
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