Behring made major contributions to the understanding of the body 's immune system, discovered the first successful treatment for tetanus, and came to be known as the "Children's Savior" for his success in conquering diphtheria.

Behring was born in Deutch-Eylau, Prussia (now Ilawa, Poland) to a family of 12 children. He studied at the University of Berlin, earning his medical degree in 1880. He served several years as a surgeon in the Prussian Army Medical Corps. It was then that he became interested in infection and how substances in the blood fight disease.

In 1889, Behring went to the University of Berlin to work in the laboratory of Robert Koch. Behring made some of his most important discoveries while working there with the Japanese bacteriologist Shibasaburo Kitasato. At the time, tetanus or lockjaw, a disease that causes muscle spasms, was widespread. Tetanus is brought about by toxins or poisons that are...