editor's blog
The Story of Dr Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
The silver screen’s second brush with antibodies came four years later in “The Story of Dr Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet,” which focused on the work of German immunologist and chemotherapy developer Paul Ehrlich.
The film is primarily concerned with the development of the syphilis treatment Salvarsan, which is a toxic organoarsenical compound widely acknowledged as the first chemotherapeutic agent. The story also touches on Ehrlich’s work on inherited immunity and antibodies.
During the Second World War the Nazi Government tried to supress the firm because Ehrlich was Jewish.