Koch's dilemma revisited.
Robert Koch's description of the etiologic agent of tuberculosis on 24 March 1882 made him the hero of tuberculosis research overnight. In 1890, at the 10th International Congress of Medicine in Berlin, he claimed that he had discovered a remedy for the disease. This announcement was received with great excitement by both the medical community and the public. Medical trials performed in the subsequent months failed, however, to reveal a protective effect of Koch's remedy. In contrast, the diagnostic potential of tuberculin is still used and valued nowadays. This short article discusses Koch's reasons for fighting for the success of his remedy.
Max-Planck-Institute for Infection Biology, Department of Immunology, Berlin, Germany.
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Kaufmann
D005858:Germany; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009613:Nobel Prize; D014373:Tuberculin / Q000266:history* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000266:history* / Q000628:therapy
D014373:Tuberculin