Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: mauveine

  • Paul Ehrlich: from aniline dyes to the magic bullet

    George Dunea Chicago, Illinois, United States   Fig. 1, Phenylamine  Fig. 2, Gown dyed with mauvine To understand Paul Ehrlich, the man who developed the first effective cure for syphilis, we must dial back to 1826. In that year, a German scientist called Otto Unverdoren isolated from indigo a volatile organic substance that smelled like…