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Virchows Arch (2015) 466:111116 DOI 10.1007/s00428-014-1677-4
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The contribution of Paul Ehrlich to histochemistry: a tribute on the occasion of the centenary of his death
Igor Buchwalow & Werner Boecker & Markus Tiemann
Received: 26 September 2014 /Revised: 20 October 2014 /Accepted: 22 October 2014 /Published online: 31 October 2014 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
Abstract Paul Ehrlich is the founder of a number of areas in biomedical research: in the first line, immunology and chemotherapy. Aim of this historical note to the centenary of Paul Ehrlichs death is to commemorate his tribute to the establishment and development of histochemistry.
Keywords Paul Ehrlich . Pathfinder in histochemistry .
Histology . Hematology . Chemotherapy . Immunology
Paul Ehrlich (14 March 185420 August 1915) (Fig. 1) is the founder of a number of areas in biomedical research. On the basis of his research career as a histologist, hematologist, immunologist, organic chemist, or pharmacologist, Ehrlich can be rightfully recognized as giant among giants. There are numerous reviews [1, 2, 5, 26, 27, 29, 35], books [3, 31, 33, 36, 37], and films [8] portraying his life and his tribute to immunology and chemotherapy. The aim of this historical note to the centenary of his death is to commemorate his role in the establishment and development of histochemistry.
Born in Strehlen near Breslau (the German Province of Silesia, now in Poland), Paul Ehrlich was the second child of Ismar and Rosa Ehrlich. Ismar Ehrlich, the leader of the local Jewish community, gave his first son the Christian name Paul. As a schoolboy, Paul was inspired by his mothers cousin, the renowned pathologist Karl Weigert (18451904). Karl Weigert was the first who introduced aniline dyes in histology and bacterial diagnostics and owned one of the first micro-tomes. He was only 9 years older than Paul, and the two became close friends. Paul was fascinated by the process of staining tissue substances for microscopic examination and retained that interest during his subsequent medical studies.
Ehrlich studied medicine at the Universities of Breslau, Strassburg, Freiburg-im-Breisgau, and Leipzig between 1872 and 1877. Continuing the interest, instilled by his cousin, in staining tissues for microscopic study, Ehrlich spent his eighth university semester in Freiburg im Breisgau investigating the red dye dahlia (monophenylrosanilin). This...