| Release Date: | Feb 1940 |
|---|---|
| Genres: | Biography / Drama |
| Awards: | Nominated for Oscar. |
| Runtime: | 103 min |
| Cast: | Edward G. Robinson (Dr. Paul Ehrlich), Ruth Gordon (Hedwig Ehrlich) Otto Kruger (Dr. Emil Von Behring) Donald Crisp (Minister Althoff) Maria Ouspenskaya (Franziska Speyer) Montagu Love (Professor Hartman) Sig Ruman (Dr. Hans Wolfert) Donald Meek (Mittelmeyer) Henry O'Neill (Dr. Lentz) Albert Bassermann (Dr. Robert Koch) Edward Norris (Dr. Morgenroth) Harry Davenport (Judge) Louis Calhern (Dr. Brockdorf) Louis Jean Heydt (Dr. Kunze) Charles Halton (Sensenbrenner) Irving Bacon (Becker) Douglas Wood (Speidler) Theodore von Eltz (Dr. Kraus) Hermine Sterler (Miss Marquardt) Louis Adlon (Hospital Attendant (uncredited)) Herbert Anderson (Medical Assistant (uncredited)) Louis V. Arco (Dr. Bertheim (uncredited)) Egon Brecher (Martl (uncredited)) Cliff Clark (Haupt (uncredited)) Gretl Dupont (Mother (uncredited)) Lisa Golm ((uncredited)) John Hamilton (Hirsch (uncredited)) Ludwig Hardt (Court Clerk (uncredited)) Wilfred Hari (Dr. Hata (uncredited)) Paul Harvey (Defense Attorney (uncredited)) Ernst Hausman (Hans Weisgart (uncredited)) John Henrick (Dr. Bucher (uncredited)) Stuart Holmes (Male Nurse (uncredited)) Frank Jaquet (Banker (uncredited)) Frank Lackteen (Arab Man (uncredited)) Rolf Lindau (Patient (uncredited)) Frank Mayo (Assistant (uncredited)) Frederic Mellinger (Court Stenographer (uncredited)) Greta Meyer (Female Nurse (uncredited)) Torben Meyer (Kadereit (uncredited)) Howard M. Mitchell (Dr. Virchow) Norman Phillips Jr. (Stable Boy (uncredited)) Paul Phillips (Patient (uncredited)) Frank Reicher ((uncredited)) Hedwiga Reicher (Nurse (uncredited)) Elaine Renshaw (Arab Woman (uncredited)) Walter O. Stahl (Doctor (uncredited)) Robert R. Stephenson (Merk, Patient (uncredited)) Polly Stewart (Steffi (uncredited)) Rolla Stewart (Steffi (uncredited)) Robert Strange (Koerner (uncredited)) Ann E. Todd (Marianne (uncredited)) Brandon Tynan (Doctor (uncredited)) Wilhelm von Brincken (Officer (uncredited)) Gisela Werbisek (Mother (uncredited)) Wolfgang Zilzer (Kellner (uncredited)) |
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Dr. Max Erlich makes several valuable contributions to medical science. His first is the ability to stain specific elements on a laboratory slide, such as tuberculosis. The second was the ability to develop a serum to fight diseases such as typhoid by slowly building up natural immunities to the disease. From these successes, Erlich moved on to using chemicals as a cure for disease. The idea was quite radical at the time as chemotherapy simply did not exist. His success at finding a cure for syphilis proves his ideas to be correct but he is forced to defend them in court when he sues a colleague for libel.
