“Dad, I Want to Live” - The Story of Prontosil, the First Sulfa Drug
“Dad, I want to live…but I cannot live without you!”
In 1935, a desperate plea from a six-year-old girl forever altered the course of medical history. Her name was Hildegard (Hilda) Domagk, the beloved daughter of Dr. Gerhard Johannes Paul Domagk, a German pathologist and bacteriologist born on October 30, 1895. The world would know Dr. Domagk as the discoverer of the first commercially available antibacterial drug. But before he received Nobel honors, international acclaim, or a place in history, he was just a father facing an impossible decision!
Dr. Gerhard Domagk
A Child’s Life on the Brink
In the pre-antibiotic era, bacterial infections were often death sentences. In 1935, Hilda injured her hand and developed a severe streptococcal infection, which progressed to septicemia, a deadly bloodstream infection. The only available treatment at the time was the injection of anti-streptococcal horse serum. Though it worked occasionally, the serum often induced anaphylactic shock, a fatal allergic reaction.
Doctors told Dr. Domagk that his daughter’s only hope was amputation of the infected limb. Even then, her chances were slim. Hilda, intelligent beyond her years, clutched her father’s hands with tears streaming down her face and whispered the words that would change everything - “Dad, please save me somehow...I want to live…I don’t want to die” That moment of helpless urgency moved Dr. Domagk to take a risk that defied Nazi regulations, scientific caution, and medical norms.
The Discovery of Prontosil - A Dye That Could Save Lives
At the time, Dr. Domagk was serving as the Director of Research at the Institute of Pathology and Bacteriology at the I.G. Farben Laboratories in Wuppertal, Germany. He was tasked with testing new compounds developed by chemists Josef Klarer and Fritz Mietzsch to assess their antibacterial potencies.
One of those compounds, a synthetic benzine derivative of red azo dye attached with a sulfonamide group as a side chain, stood out. Known chemically as sulfonamidochrysoidine, it was later branded as Prontosil. In animal studies, Prontosil showed remarkable efficacy against Gram-positive bacteria, particularly streptococci and staphylococci, the culprits behind infections like pneumonia, wound infections, and puerperal fever. It saved countless mice in the lab. But human trials were strictly forbidden in Nazi Germany. Until Hilda’s life was on the line.
Box of 5 Prontosil ampoules, by Bayer, Germany, 1936-1940, free sample, probably for Middle Eastern market
A Father’s Gamble, a Daughter’s Survival
In the face of overwhelming odds and personal risk, Dr. Domagk administered Prontosil to Hilda. The results were nothing short of miraculous - she fully recovered. That moment not only saved his daughter’s life but also proved to the world that Prontosil could combat deadly bacterial infections in humans. Dr. Domagk became the first scientist to demonstrate that a synthetic chemical compound could cure systemic bacterial infections in people.
Tube of Prontosil tablets, after 1935, by Bayer, German
Nobel Prize and Nazi Rejection
For this breakthrough, Dr. Domagk was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1939. However, under Nazi rule, accepting foreign accolades was forbidden. When he tried to accept the award, the regime imprisoned him for a week and forced him to decline the honor. It wasn’t until post-war 1947 that he was finally able to receive his Nobel diploma and medal, without the prize money.
The Science Behind the Breakthrough
The chemical structure of Prontosil (C₁₂H₁₃N₅O₂S) was later analyzed by scientists at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, including Dr. Ernest Fourneau, Thérèse Tréfouël, and Daniel Bovet. They discovered that Prontosil was a prodrug, meaning it became active only after being converted in the body to sulphanilamide, which is the active molecule of Prontosil. Since sulfanilamide could be synthesized more easily and cheaply, this discovery ignited the sulfa drug revolution, spawning a new generation of antimicrobial agents.
Prontosil Chemical Structure
Dr. Ernest Fourneau
Thérèse Tréfouël
Daniel Bovet
Global Impact and Lifesaving Legacy
Dr. Leonard Colebrook was the first to declare that Prontosil is the drug of choice for puerperal fever. In the United States, Dr. Alexander Weech of Columbia University became the first physician to use Prontosil clinically. Shortly afterward, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., the son of U.S. President Roosevelt, survived a serious infection thanks to the drug, cementing its place in medical history. Sulfa drugs, including trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (co-trimoxazole), remain essential today for treating urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, and burns.
Dr. Leonard Colebrook was the first to declare Prontosil as the drug of choice for puerperal fever
Dr. Alexander Weech of Columbia University became the first physician in the US to use Prontosil clinically
Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. survived a serious infection using Prontosil
From Battlefield to Laboratory - The Journey of Dr. Domagk
Dr. Gerhard Domagk’s early life was as dramatic as his scientific achievements. He was born in Lagow, Brandenburg, Germany, and received his early education at Bismark School at Sommerfeld and Herzog-Heinrich school at Liegnitz. He served in World War I, where he was severely wounded in 1914. During his recovery, he witnessed the devastating impact of infections in field hospitals and vowed to pursue medicine. He completed his medical degree at the University of Kiel in 1921. In 1925, he married Gertrude Strube, with whom he had three sons and his beloved daughter, Hilda.
His commitment to research and healing never wavered. For his contributions, he received numerous honors -
Cameron Prize for Therapeutics, University of Edinburgh (1939)
Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize (1956)
Fellowship of the Royal Society (1956)
Dr. Gerhard Domagk
A Vision Fulfilled, A Life Remembered
On April 24, 1964, Dr. Domagk sat in his clinic in Burgberg, West Germany, when he experienced vertigo and a mild chest pain. As he slipped into unconsciousness, it is said he envisioned little Hilda once again, tears in her eyes, grasping his hands, whispering, “Dad, please do something urgently. I cannot live without you.”
He passed away that evening from a massive heart attack. The next day, all of Germany mourned the loss of one of its greatest scientists. Dr. Domagk was buried in Burgberg, his legacy forever etched into the history of modern medicine.
From Chemotherapy to Antimicrobial Therapy
Though Prontosil was initially hailed as an antibiotic, scientists later categorized it as a chemotherapeutic agent because it was synthetically derived. Over time, the term “chemotherapy” became associated with cancer treatment, and a new classification, namely Antimicrobial Agent (AMA), was adopted.
And so, Dr. Domagk didn’t just save Hilda’s life. He ushered humanity into the antimicrobial era, opening the door to a world where bacterial infections were no longer always fatal.
Epilogue - A Father’s Love, A World’s Salvation
This is not just the story of a drug. It’s the story of a father’s love, a daughter's plea, and a decision that would redefine medicine. In risking everything for Hilda, Dr. Gerhard Domagk gave the world something priceless - the first key to fighting infectious disease with chemicals. Thanks to him, millions have lived.
This article is authored by my father Dr. Kamal Kumar Sengupta. He is a retired doctor with a five-decade-long career as an eye surgeon, a patented inventor of ophthalmic surgical instruments, and an author of ocular pharmacology textbooks. Post-retirement, he decided to invest his time in writing motivational stories from across the globe that will inspire future generations to experience the world, explore ideas, and follow their dreams. I hope you liked this article and if you did, don’t forget to let us know in the comments below!
All images in the article are royalty-free images from jstor.org used for visualization purposes only. We hold no copyright on the images.
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