Robert Koch: Father of Bacteriology

by David C. Knight, Gustav Schrotter (Illustrator)

No other scientist has so aptly earned the title of "father" of his branch of science than Robert Koch. While Pasteur is regarded as the greatest applied bacteriologist, it was Koch who first perfected the pure techniques of cultivating and studying bacteria. When Koch succeeded in isolating the dreaded anthrax bacillus, he became the first to prove that a specific bacterium was the cause of a specific disease. He also developed four famous rules -- still in use today -- for relating one kind of bacteria to one kind of disease. Later, he succeeded in growing pure cultures of bacteria, an essential technique in modern bacteriology. In 1882, Koch astounded the scientific world by first isolating the tubercle bacillus -- the cause of tuberculosis. Later he discovered tuberculin, a substance used in diagnosing tuberculosis today. A tireless worker, Koch went on to save thousands of lives, both human and animal, through his investigation of Asiatic cholera, sleeping sickness, malaria, Texas fever, rinderpest, and Rhodesian red water fever.

Genres: Medical

165 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

David Carpenter Knight was an author and publisher. He was best known for writing juvenile books on science, as well as fiction. He was a science editor in a publishing house. Before that, he worked in industrial electronics.

Reviews

[Friedrich G]

It is an excellent book and especially worth reading in this time of a pandemic. It shows what a great contribution this German scientist made to our understanding of viruses and bacteria and the illnesses they cause. Robert Koch identified the causes of malaria, tuberculosis, cholera,sleeping sickness, anthrax and many more by finding and isolating the respective viruses under the microscope. He also showed steps for fighting such diseases ( for example the importance of antibodies created by the immune system and the importance of related blood plasma ) or hygiene, clean drinking water and medicines to be developed.
The book is truly enlightening and also shows the endless efforts such scientists have to take to reach their results. INSPIRING !!!

[F S · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book!

[Frederic A Conte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written brief history of Dr. Koch. The narrative was orchestrated and kept my interest throughout the book. I was pleasantly surprised that the technical component was not overwhelming but sufficiently attended. I highly recommend this book.