The first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to the German physician, bacteriologist and serologist Emil Adolf von Belling, born on 15 March 1854 and died on 31 March 1917. He was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1901 for his research on the serological therapy of diphtheria.
Diphtheria is a disease caused by a bacterial infection called Corynebacterium diphtheria, with variable symptoms, mild or severe, and usually begins to appear two to five days after exposure to the causative bacteria. Initial symptoms usually progress more moderately, with a sore throat and fever. Severe patients, on the other hand, have gray or white patches in their throat that can block the airways and cause them to cough and make a bark like a dog barking, hence the name prosthetic laryngitis. The neck is partially enlarged by swollen lymph nodes. There is also a form of diphtheria that can infect the skin, eyes or reproductive organs. Complications include myocarditis, nerve inflammation, proteinuria, and, if platelets are low, which can cause bleeding. Myocarditis may cause arrhythmias, while neuritis may cause paralysis.
Diphtheria is usually transmitted through direct contact or droplets, but can also spread through contaminated items. Some patients may be asymptomatic but still have the ability to spread the disease to others. There are three types of diphtheriae, each of which can cause disease of varying severity. Post-infection symptoms are usually caused by exotoxins produced by bacteria. Observing the appearance of the throat and taking cultures from the throat can help with the diagnosis. People who have been infected in the past still have the opportunity to be infected in the future.
In the 1890s, Belin developed an antitoxin that does not kill diphtheria but works by inhibiting toxins that have been released into patients. He also won the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery and development of anti-diphtheria serum.
Belling was born in Hansdorff (present-day Poland) in the then Small Village of Rosenborg County, West Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia. He has 12 siblings and he ranks fifth. His father was a poor village teacher. As a child, he had already shown his genius through excellent grades, so through different scholarships, he was able to graduate from secondary school. Since he could not continue to receive a scholarship to study the medicine he wanted to study, he decided to join the military and study military medicine. As a military medical student, he studied while serving, so he was paid a salary.
On 2 October 1874 he entered the Kaiser Wilhelm Military Medical School in Berlin, where he received his doctorate in 1878. In 1889 he was invited by Robert Koch to join the Berlin Institute of Infectious Diseases. Here in 1890 he laid the foundations for serological therapy and discovered tetanus antitoxin. Beginning in 1891, he began researching diphtheria antitoxin, and in this work he enlisted the help of Paul Elhe. This achievement eventually led to the conquest of the then deadly disease.
Beginning in 1892, the Prussian Ministry of Culture tried to find a university professorship for Belling, so that he would have more freedom at work and could find research funds for himself. The move is all the more urgent because of the differences of opinion between Behring and Koch. In the winter of 1894-95, Belling was appointed Distinguished Professor of Health at Halley University.
In 1895 Bellin was given the position of professor and leader of the Institute of Health at the University of Marburg. In 1904 the Behring factory (one of the predecessors of today's Deling Company) was established here. He died of pneumonia in Marburg in 1917 at the age of 67.
For his research in serum therapy and passive immunity, especially to the treatment of diphtheria, he was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1901 and was made an aristocrat.
Chinese-English translation：
Emil Adolf von Behring, a German physician, bacteriologist, and serologist, was given the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. His work on serum treatment for diphtheria earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1901.
The bacterium that causes diphtheria, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, is the source of the disease. In most cases, the symptoms emerge within two to five days of infection with the pathogenic bacteria. A painful throat and a fever are the most common initial symptoms. Gray or white plaques may form in the throat of those who have the condition in its most severe form. These plaques can obstruct the patient's airway, resulting in a barking cough that sounds like a dog. Swollen lymph nodes will cause some swelling in the neck. Diphtheria can also infect the skin, eyes, and reproductive organs, as well as the lungs. Proteinuria, myocarditis, and inflammation of the nerves are all potential side effects, as might bleeding if thrombocytopenia is present. An irregular heartbeat can be caused by myocarditis or by neuritis, which can lead to paralysis.
Aside from direct contact or droplets, diphtheria can spread through contaminated materials. It is possible that even if a patient does not show any signs or symptoms, they can still transmit the disease to others. Each of the diphtheria bacilli kinds causes a distinct degree of illness. It is common for post-infection symptoms to be induced by bacteria-produced exotoxins. Getting a sample of the throat for culture and observing how it looks can help with the diagnosis of tonsillitis. Those who have been exposed to the virus in the past are still at risk of contracting it in the future.
Behring created an antitoxin in the 1890s that did not kill diphtheria but instead inhibited the toxin from entering the patient's system. Anti-diphtheria serum, which he discovered and developed, earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
During the time of the Kingdom of Prussia, Hans Behring was born in Hansdorf (now in Poland), a small village in the Rosenberg county of West Prussia. He is the fifth of twelve children. His father was a teacher in a poor rural town. Through numerous scholarships, he graduated from school with his academic prowess. To acquire a scholarship to study medicine, which he had always aspired to, he enlisted in the military and became a medic. The fact that he was a medical student in the military meant that he could earn money while he studied.
He began his studies at the Kaiser Wilhelm Military Academy in Berlin, Germany, on October 2, 1874, and graduated in 1878 with a PhD in military science. In 1889, Robert Koch invited him to the Berlin Institute of Infectious diseases, where he spent the next year studying infectious disease. In 1890, he laid the groundwork for serum therapy and identified the antitoxin for tetanus. Beginning in 1891, he began working with Paul Erich on a project to discover antitoxins for diphtheria. This triumph led to the eventual abolition of the terrible disease.
A university professorship was sought for Behring by the Prussian Ministry of Culture in 1892, so that he might have more freedom to work and get finance for his own research projects. Because of conflicts between Behring and Koch, the relocation became increasingly essential. Behring was made Distinguished Professor of Health at the University of Halle in the winter of 1894-95.
University of Marburg professor and head of the Institute of Health Research Behring was appointed in 1895. As a precursor of today's Dering Company, Behring was created here in 1904. In 1917, at the age of 67, he succumbed to pneumonia in Marlborough, New Hampshire.
A nobility was bestowed upon him for his work on serum therapy and passive immunity, which he used to cure diphtheria. He was the first recipient of the Physiology or Medicine Nobel Prize in 1901.