Robert Koch

A scarce early handwritten document signed by Dr. Robert Koch, penned during his groundbreaking years as a provincial physician in Wohlstein (Wolsztyn), Germany, just before his revolutionary discoveries transformed medicine. One page, in German, measuring approximately 5" x 5.5", framed with a portrait to an overall size of about 10.5" x 13".

In this partially-printed and accomplished document, Koch certifies payment for a medical service, signing boldly “R. Koch” at the lower right. The heading “Wohlstein, den 1 Juli 1880” dates this piece to the same period when Koch, then district physician, was pioneering his microscopic work that would soon lead to his historic identification of the anthrax bacillus (1876) and later the tuberculosis bacillus (1882)—discoveries that earned him the 1905 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Fine overall condition with expected folds and light age toning; beautifully framed with a printed caption “Dr. Robert Koch – Founder of Bacteriology.”