1843-1910. German bacteriologist. Koch and
his assistants devised the means to culture
bacteria outside the body, and formulated the
rules for showing whether or not a bacterium
is the cause of a disease. Nobel Prize for
Medicine 1905. His techniques enabled him to
identify the bacteria responsible for
diseases like anthrax, cholera, and
tuberculosis. This did not automatically lead
to cures, but was crucial in their discovery.
Koch was a great teacher, and many of his
pupils, such as Kitasato, Ehrlich, and
Behring, became outstanding scientists.