1895-1964

German pathologist and chemist who won the Nobel Prize in 1939 for his discovery that a red, sulfur-containing dye called Prontosil was a safe and effective treatment for streptococcal infections in mice. Researchers at the Pasteur Institute later proved that Prontosil itself was not antibacterial; instead, the dye substance was broken down in the body, releasing the active sulfonamide portion of the molecule. This revelation led to the development of a series of related drugs called the sulfonamides, or sulfa drugs.