Gerhard Domagk

Medicine German 1895 – 1964 423 quotes

Discovered the first sulfonamide drug, Prontosil, which was effective against bacterial infections.

Most quoted

"The fight against infectious diseases is a fight against the invisible, but it is a fight we can win with the weapons of chemistry and perseverance."

— from Speech on Chemotherapy, 1935

"I believe that the future of medicine lies in chemotherapy, in finding specific substances that can target and destroy disease-causing organisms."

— from Diary entry

"Some colleagues believe that if you stare at a problem long enough, it will eventually solve itself. I prefer a more active form of persuasion."

— from Laboratory notes

All quotes by Gerhard Domagk (423)

The excitement of a successful experiment is soon replaced by the sobering question: 'But will it work in humans?'

Research Diary

We have learned to aim our chemical weapons with greater precision, to spare the host and kill the invader.

Review Article 1950

The legacy of a researcher is not in titles, but in the treatments that continue to heal after he is gone.

Final Reflection