Emil von Behring

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/emil-von-behring

1. When was Emil von Behring born?
2. Where was Emil von Behring born?
3. What is Emil von Behring known for?
4. Who discovered Emil von Behring?
5. What is the major award?
6. What did Emil von Behring discover that helped kids get better from diphtheria?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Emil von Behring born?March 15, 1854
2. Where was Emil von Behring born?Hansdorf, Prussia (now Poland)
3. What is Emil von Behring known for?Discovery of diphtheria antitoxin and contributions to tetanus antitoxin therapy
4. Who discovered Emil von Behring?Demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of antitoxins in combating bacterial toxins
5. What is the major award?Recipient of the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1901
6. What did Emil von Behring discover that helped kids get better from diphtheria?He found that a special liquid from animals that had been protected against diphtheria could be given to sick people to stop the dangerous toxin, saving many lives.

Antitoxin Therapy: A medical treatment utilizing antibodies in serum to neutralize specific toxins produced by pathogens.
Immunology: The branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of immune systems and their functions.
Bacteriology: The scientific study of bacteria, including their characteristics, beneficial and harmful effects, and their role in disease.
Toxin: A poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms, which can cause disease when introduced into the body.