Emil von Behring
German physiologist (1854–1917)
Emil von Behring (German: [ˈeːmiːl fɔn ˈbeːʁɪŋ]; Emil Adolf von Behring: born Emil Adolf Behring; 15 March 1854 – 31 March 1917), was a German physiologist. In 1901, he received the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his work on serum therapy, especially its application against diphtheria, by which he has opened a new road in the domain of medical science and thereby placed in the hands of the physician a victorious weapon against illness and deaths".2
From Wikipedia’s article on Emil von Behring (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born Mar 15, 1854, died Mar 31, 1917.1
About
He was widely known as a "saviour of children", as diphtheria used to be a major cause of child death. His work with the disease, as well as tetanus, has come to bring him most of his fame and acknowledgment. He was honoured with Prussian nobility in 1901, henceforth being known by the surname "von Behring".
From Wikipedia’s article on Emil von Behring, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2
Companies
- BehringwerkeFounder14
Early life and education
- Date not recordedHumboldt-Universität zu Berlin3
Career
Occupation: university teacher, immunologist, non-fiction writer, physiologist, bacteriologist, scientist, physician.6
Personal life
- BornMar 15, 1854, Ławice7
- DiedMar 31, 1917, Marburg8
- CitizenshipKingdom of Prussia, German Reich9
- SpouseElse von Behring married 189610
On 29 December 1896 Behring married the then twenty-year-old Else Spinola (1876–1936), who was a daughter of Bernhard Spinola, the director of the Charité hospital in Berlin, and a Jewish-born mother – Elise Spinola, born Bendix – who had converted to Christianity upon her marriage. The couple had six sons: Fritz (1898–1966), Bernhard (1900–1918, killed in action on 20 July 1918 in Cuchéry/Marne), Hans (1903–1982), Kurt (1905–1935), Emil (1906–1970), and Otto (1913–2002), two of whom, Hans and Otto von Behring, also studied medicine.
The couple held their honeymoon at villa "Behring" on Capri 1897, where Behring owned a vacation home. In 1909–1911, the Russian writer Maxim Gorky lived at this villa.
From Wikipedia’s article on Emil von Behring (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Legal issues and controversies
Controversy
von Behring is believed to have cheated Paul Ehrlich out of recognition and financial reward in relation to collaborative research in diphtheria. The two men developed a diphtheria serum by repeatedly injecting the deadly toxin into a horse. The serum was used effectively during an epidemic in Germany. A chemical company preparing to undertake commercial production and marketing of the diphtheria serum offered a contract to both men, but von Behring manoeuvered to claim all the considerable financial rewards for himself. To add insult to injury, only Behring received the first Nobel Prize in Medicine, in 1901, for his contributions. However, Ehrlich went on to win the 1908 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his contribution to immunology.
From Wikipedia’s article on Emil von Behring (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Awards
- 1915Iron Cross on white ribbon11
- 1912Order of the Red Eagle 2nd Class11
- 1910Honorary Doctorate from the National Autonomous University of Mexico11
- 1901Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine11 12
- 1901Officer of the Legion of Honour11 13
- 18962nd Class Order of the Crown with the Star11
- 1895Order of the Griffon11
- Date not recordedCameron Prize of the University of Edinburgh11
- Date not recordedFellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences11
- Date not recordedhonorary doctor of the University of Halle-Wittenberg11
Links
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1WikidataEmil von Behring on Wikidata
- 2WikipediaEmil von Behring on Wikipedia
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- 13Wikidataaward, as reported
- 14WikidataBehringwerke, Founder
- 15Wikimedia CommonsEmil von Behring photo by L. Lamarra, Neapel, Public domain