Amulet portraying Robert Koch, Germany, after 1900. NML Medical Museum, Numismatic Collection, M 393.

Object of the Month: November 2021

A Charm Against Tuberculosis?

Robert Koch, the discoverer of TBC-bacillus and the founder of bacteriology, became a heroic figure both in literature – in Czechoslovakia, in Karel Driml’s Bacilinek puppet play – and in the visual arts at the turn of the 20 century. The portrait of the Berlin microbiologist appeared on dozens of medals as well. Among them, small bronze coins featuring Koch were minted in Germany in the early 1900s: according to some historians, they served as amulets protecting against TBC infection. Knowing the agent of infection did not immediately translate into effective prevention and treatment. The obverse shows the semi-profile portrait of Robert Koch, circumscribed by his name; the reverse has the text „Lunge sehr kräftig“ (Lungs Quite Vigorous). Should wearing the likeness of the scientist that recognized the origin of phthisis and suggested a cure strengthen the owner’s lungs and protect them from the germ? Did the man of science take the place of a patron saint, the bespectacled face the place of St. Roch and his dog?