We are swamped with information and each day seems to bring new discoveries that must be considered. Never before in the history of science have so many scientists been as active as today. It has become a major problem for the expert just to keep up with the literature in his or her own field of research. Why, then, should experts and their poor students worry about the pioneers of microbiology, those half-forgotten scientists who a century ago devoted their lives to a new science that was on its way to revolutionizing medicine?
With so many new facts and problems screaming for our attention, it is easy to lose sight of the long road that we have travelled in order to get to the point where we are now. Tracing the path of those who have gone before us will help us to see our own scientific goals and efforts in a more revealing perspective.
The great figures who are at the center of interest in this book — Robert Koch, Emil von Behring, Paul Ehrlich and Elie Metchnikoff — were far from uncontroversial during their lifetimes. It is interesting to see how they were judged by their peers at the Karolinska Institutet when they were considered for the Nobel Prize.
Pioneers of Microbiology and the Nobel Prize has been written in such a way that it can be enjoyed even without an extensive knowledge of microbiology and medicine. In fact, a considerable part of the book portrays the state of medicine during the middle of the 19th century, when bacteriology can be said to have made its debut on the medical scene.
Alfred Nobel (1833–1896) |
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Emil von Behring (1854–1917) |
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Alphonse Laveran (1845–1922) |
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Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) |
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Sample Chapter(s)
Introduction (26 KB)
Contents:
- The Sites of Diseases
- Cellular Pathology
- The New Physiology
- Bankruptcy and a Gleam of Hope
- Contagion Versus Miasma
- The Birth of Microbiology
- Bacteriology and the Nemesis of Surgery
- Robert Koch
- Emil von Behring
- Paul Ehrlich
- Elie Metchnikoff
- Nobel Prizes and Nobel Committees (1901, 1905 and 1908)
- In Defence of the Nobel Prize
Readership: Microbiologists; medical researchers, undergraduates and graduate students in microbiology and the life sciences; general readers.
“… The four main sections of the book are each a gem of a portrait in the miniature. The treatment is balanced; not only human greatness but failings are presented, making the descriptions very human and informative … Ulf Lagerkvist provides interesting data and observations about the nominations and the studies conducted by various members of the Committee on the candidates.”
István Hargittai
Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary
“Lagerkvist has written an extremely informative and simple description of four giants in the field of microbiology. His easy-going style and a focus on the straightforward elements of the lives of the Nobelists make for a voyage of entertainment and education.”
Sidney Altman
Yale University, USA
“It is an informative review of the notable achievements of four great figures in medicine whose researches have virtually been eclipsed by the rapid advances of the 20th century.”
Paul Berg
Stanford University Medical Center, USA
“This timely book reminds us of the achievements and careers of the equally great scientific pioneers of a hundred years ago, who discovered most of the agents that cause major human diseases, and also revealed our main defence against infectious agents, the antibodies … The author provides fascinating insights into the deliberations which resulted in well deserved awards for several scientific pioneers. This is an insiders' view of the strategy for choosing the right candidates for Nobel prizes.”
Tomas Lindahl
Cancer Research UK London Research Institute
“Just over 100 years ago, the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded. This book is an authoritative and entertaining account of four of the early winners. The life and work of Robert Koch, Emil von Behring, Paul Ehrlich and Elie Metchnikoff are closely examined in the light of contemporary scientific knowledge and ignorance. Politics appear to have had as much to do with their final acceptance as Nobel Prize winners as did their outstanding scientific achievements. Many full-page portraits add to the charm of this book. Members of the public wanting to learn more about the birth of microbiology will find this book invaluable. Trainee as well as experienced microbiologists and immunologists will also find much of interest. There should be a copy in the often neglected history section of all good microbiologists libraries.”
Microbiology Today
“The book supplies superior details about the research and the social climate leading to the discoveries and provides good insight into the intellect and personalities that make extraordinary scientific discoveries. The rationale for awarding Nobel prizes in science is also thoroughly discussed … For anybody interested in the history and process of science.”
Choice
“The initial chapters beautifully describe the evolution of the ideas that formed the basis not only of medical microbiology but also of physiology and pathology … This book provides a series of portraits in which not only the achievements but additionally the failings are described, and effectively conjures up the academic milieu of the time.”
Notes and Records of The Royal Society
