Paul Henry de Kruif (, rhyming with "life") (1890–1971) was an American

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

of Dutch descent. Publishing as Paul de Kruif, he is most noted for his 1926 book, ''Microbe Hunters''. This book was not only a bestseller for a lengthy period after publication, but has remained high on lists of recommended reading for science and has been an inspiration for many aspiring physicians and scientists.

Biography

Early life

De Kruif was born March 2, 1890, in Zeeland, Michigan. In 1912, he graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

with a bachelor's degree, and he remained there to obtain a Ph.D., which was granted in 1916. He immediately entered service as a private in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

on the Pancho Villa Expedition and afterwards served as a lieutenant and a captain in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Because of his service in the Sanitary Corps, he had occasional contacts with leading French biologists of the period.

Career

After returning to the University of Michigan as an assistant professor, De Kruif briefly worked for the Rockefeller Institute (for Medical Research). He then became a full-time writer. De Kruif assisted Sinclair Lewis with his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ''Arrowsmith'' (1925) by providing the scientific and medical information required by the plot, along with character sketches. Even though Lewis was listed as the sole author, De Kruif's contribution was significant, and he received 25 percent of the royalties. Many believe the characters in the novel represent people known to De Kruif, with Martin Arrowsmith (a physician, unlike de Kruif) possibly representing himself. While working for the Rockefeller Institute, De Kruif submitted an anonymous entry about modern medicine, for a book entitled ''Civilization''. In the article, he decried the state of contemporary medical practice, which, because it lacked scientifically sound practices, he called "medical Ga-Ga-ism". De Kruif decried doctors as providing only a "mélange of religious ritual, more or less accurate folk-lore, and commercial cunning". When it was discovered that De Kruif was the author of the essay, he was fired from the Rockefeller Institute. Ronald Ross, one of the scientists featured in ''Microbe Hunters'', took exception to how he was described, so the British edition deleted that chapter to avoid a

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

suit. De Kruif was a staff writer for the ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

'', '' Country Gentleman'', and '' Reader's Digest'', contributing articles on science and medicine. He also served on commissions to promote research into infantile paralysis (polio). ''The Sweeping Wind'', De Kruif's last book, is his autobiography. De Kruif died February 28, 1971, in Holland, Michigan.

Works

* ''Our Medicine Men'' (1922) * ''Microbe Hunters'' (1926) * ''Hunger Fighters'' (1928) * ''Seven Iron Men'' (1929) * ''Men Against Death'' (1932) * ''Why Keep Them Alive'' (1937) * ''The Fight for Life'' (1938) * ''The Male Hormone'' (1945) * ''Health is Wealth'' (1940) * ''Life Among the Doctors'' (1949) * ''Kaiser Wakes the Doctors'' (1940) * ''A Man Against Insanity'' (1957) * ''The Sweeping Wind'' (1962)

Influential articles by Paul de Kruif

* "How We Can Help Feed Europe, in Reader's Digest, Sept. 1945 (p. 50-52). About the Meals for Millions Foundation and their Multi-Purpose Food.

''Microbe Hunters''

De Kruif's celebrated 1926 book ''Microbe Hunters'' consists of chapters on the following figures of medicine's " Heroic Age": * Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) – the invention of a simple

microscope A microscope () is a laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic means being invisibl ...

and the discovery of microorganisms. * Lazzaro Spallanzani (1729-1799) – biogenesis. *

Robert Koch Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch ( , ; 11 December 1843 – 27 May 1910) was a German physician and microbiologist. As the discoverer of the specific causative agents of deadly infectious diseases including tuberculosis, cholera (though the Vibrio ...

(1843-1910) – identification of

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...

s. *

Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization, the latter of which was named afte ...

(1822-1895) –

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

, biogenesis. *

Emile Roux Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *''Emil and the Detective ...

(1853-1933) and

Emil von Behring Emil von Behring (; Emil Adolf von Behring), born Emil Adolf Behring (15 March 1854 – 31 March 1917), was a German physiologist who received the 1901 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the first one awarded in that field, for his discovery ...

(1854 -1917) –

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

. *

Elie Metchnikoff Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked vi ...

(1845-1916) –

phagocytes Phagocytes are cells that protect the body by ingesting harmful foreign particles, bacteria, and dead or dying cells. Their name comes from the Greek ', "to eat" or "devour", and "-cyte", the suffix in biology denoting "cell", from the Greek '' ...

. *

Theobald Smith Theobald Smith FRS(For) HFRSE (July 31, 1859 – December 10, 1934) was a pioneering epidemiologist, bacteriologist, pathologist and professor. Smith is widely considered to be America's first internationally-significant medical research scienti ...

(1859-1934) – animal vectors and

tick Ticks (order Ixodida) are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living by ...

s. * David Bruce (1855-1931) –

tsetse flies Tsetse ( , or ) (sometimes spelled tzetze; also known as tik-tik flies), are large, biting flies that inhabit much of tropical Africa. Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus ''Glossina'', which are placed in their own family, Glo ...

and sleeping sickness. * Ronald Ross (1857-1932) and Battista Grassi (1854-1925) –

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

. *

Walter Reed Walter Reed (September 13, 1851 – November 22, 1902) was a U.S. Army physician who in 1901 led the team that confirmed the theory of Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito species rather than b ...

(1851-1902) –

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

. * Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915) – the magic-bullet concept applied to

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...

(see the 1940 film ''

Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet ''Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet'' is a 1940 American biographical film directed by William Dieterle and starring Edward G. Robinson, based on the true story of the German doctor and scientist Dr. Paul Ehrlich. The film was released by Warner Bros., ...

'').

Notes

Bibliography

* Summers, William C. (1998) "Microbe Hunters revisited", ''

International Microbiology ''International Microbiology'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Springer Science+Business Media and the official journal of the . It covers all aspects of microbiology. The journal was established in 1947 as ''Microbiol ...

'' 1: 65–68
online
* Verhave, Jan Peter (Spring 2013) "Paul de Kruif: A Michigan Leader in Public Health", '' Michigan Historical Review'' 39: 41–69.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:De Kruif, Paul University of Michigan alumni American microbiologists American people of Dutch descent Writers from Michigan 1890 births 1971 deaths People from Zeeland, Michigan