Albert Schatz

Albert Schatz

Birth date	February 2, 1920
Birth place	Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States
Died	January 17, 2005
Place of death	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Nationality	American
Known for	Discovery of streptomycin

Albert Schatz (February 2, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American microbiologist best known for his discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis.

Early Life and Education

Albert Schatz was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to a family of Jewish immigrants. He developed an early interest in science and pursued his education at Rutgers University, where he studied under the guidance of Selman Waksman.

Discovery of Streptomycin

In 1943, while working as a graduate student in Waksman's laboratory, Schatz isolated a strain of Streptomyces griseus from soil samples. This led to the discovery of streptomycin, an antibiotic that was effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.

The discovery of streptomycin was a significant breakthrough in the treatment of tuberculosis, which was a leading cause of death at the time. However, the credit for the discovery was initially given to Waksman, who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1952. Schatz later sued for recognition and was eventually acknowledged as a co-discoverer.

Later Career and Legacy

After his work on streptomycin, Schatz continued his research in microbiology and taught at various institutions. He was passionate about the ethical implications of scientific research and advocated for the rights of scientists to receive proper recognition for their work.

Schatz's contributions to microbiology and his role in the discovery of streptomycin have had a lasting impact on the field of medicine. His work paved the way for the development of other antibiotics and the treatment of infectious diseases.

Also see

• Selman Waksman
• Streptomycin
• Antibiotics
• Tuberculosis
• Microbiology