Paul Ehrlich's magic bullet
August 1, 1912
Paul Ehrlich introduced Salvarsan, his treatment for syphilis, the first chemotherapeutic drug. Chemistry could now cure a disease, not just ease it. Ehrlich had coined the term magic bullet for a drug that would hit a pathogen without harming the host. Modern pharmaceutical medicine had found its first triumph and its guiding metaphor.
In context
Also in 1912 (4 other events on record)
- Titanic sinks on maiden voyage · Europe · Disaster
- First Balkan War breaks out · Europe · War
- Wegener proposes continental drift · Europe · Science
- Fenway Park opens · North America · Culture
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Science
Era
Modern Era (1901–2000), one of 590 events from that era on Saeculum.