Koch's greatest failure

KOCH, Robert.

Ueber bakteriologische Forschung. Vortrag in der 1. allgemeinen Sitzung des X. internationalen medicinischen Congresses am 4. August 1890.

Berlin: August Hirschwald, 1890.

1st Edition. Soft cover. Very Good. Item #003159

8vo (241 x 148 mm). 15 [1] pp. Original publisher's printed wrappers, stapled as issued (fore-edge with rather crude scissor opening cut, crayon underlining of author's name and further crayon note at top margin, light dust-soiling, shelf-mark stamp). Text little age-toned only. A very good, unsophisticated copy. ----

FIRST EDITION of Koch's important conference paper, rare in the original wrappers. At the tenth International Medical Congress at Berlin in 1890, Koch, in a keynote lecture, announced his belief that he had found a remedy for tuberculosis.
On March 24, 1882 Robert Koch announced the discovery of the tuberculosis pathogen - his lecture on the "etiology of tuberculosis" made him famous over night. Tuberculosis had developed into a widespread disease in the course of the 19th century. About a seventh of the German population died at that time of the so-called white plague. Cause and distribution of the disease were unclear. Koch showed that tuberculosis is triggered by tubercle bacilli. In order to be able to detect these, special nutrient media, new culture conditions and specific staining techniques were necessary. Beside cholera, tuberculosis remained a major research topic in Koch's life. He looked for ways to curb or prevent infectious diseases specifically from the outset. However, his desire to find a therapeutic or even an anti-tuberculosis vaccine was not fulfilled. The remedy developed by him "tuberculin" - a mixture of components of devitalized tubercle bacilli, which Koch presented at the X International Congress of Medicine in Berlin in 1890 - later proved to be ineffective. Long-term cures did not occur, some patients even died after the treatment. Nevertheless, the scientific achievements of Koch and the increasing importance of bacteriology at the end of the 19th century prompted the Prussian government to set up its own research institute for Robert Koch. Koch was awarded the 1905 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discovery of Tuberculosis bacilli (online resources: Robert Koch Institute, Berlin). - Visit our website for additional images and information.

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