Ehrlich, Paul. Die Wertbemessung des Diphtherieheilserums und deren theoretische Grundlagen.

€ 3,800.00

Offprint from the "Klinisches Jahrbuch", bearing Ehrlich's autograph inscription to the mayor of Frankfurt, Franz Adickes ("in vorzüglichster Hochachtung gewidmet") on the upper wrapper cover.

"This was the beginning of the concept of biological standardization. The first exposition of Ehrlich's side-chain theory appeared in this paper" (Garrison/M.). Ehrlich's famous paper describes how diphtheria toxin and antitoxin interact and the method of their measurement. "Not only did he postulate that immunological specificity was due to a unique stereochemical relationship between the active sites on antigen and antibody, he introduced also the concepts of affinity and of functional domains on the antibody molecule. This work provided the taproot from which the field of immunochemistry later grew; he would be famous for this contribution alone. But Ehrlich also appended to this study a theory of the basis for antibody formation, an inclusion that assured the report a unique position in the history of immunology" (Silverstein, A History of Immunology, p. 65). Paul Ehrlich shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology in 1908 with Elie Metchnikoff "in recognition of their work on immunity".

Light fingerstains and dustsoiling; remains of a shalfmark label; stamp to verso of title-page.