Edward Albert Koch facts for kids
Edward Albert Koch (born in 1843, died in 1901) was a doctor from Germany who worked in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. He became well-known for treating a serious illness called malaria. He was also one of the first people to realize that mosquitoes played a big part in spreading this disease. Dr. Koch's special fever medicine and his advice on how to prevent malaria were very important in controlling the illness in Far North Queensland during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Early Life
Edward Albert Koch was born in 1843 in a place called Altona, which was in Holstein, Germany. He studied medicine at Kiel University and finished his degree in Berlin in 1870. This was the same year that Germany went to war with France. Because of the war, Koch had to join the army and work as a medical officer. After the Franco-Prussian War, it seems he continued to work in surgical departments in Germany.
Medical Career in Queensland
In the middle of 1877, Dr. Koch took a job as a chief doctor on a German ship carrying people who were moving to Queensland, Australia. He worked on a few more ships bringing immigrants to Queensland and New South Wales between 1877 and 1879.
In January 1879, the Queensland Government gave him a top certificate to practice medicine. In April 1882, he officially promised his loyalty to the country in Cairns, where he started his own private doctor's office. He was then appointed as a medical officer at Cairns Hospital in July 1882. By April 1884, he also became the Health Officer for Cairns, which meant he was in charge of running the hospital.
Besides his main jobs, Dr. Koch also took on other roles. From September 1896, he was a surgeon for the Queensland Military Defence Force's Naval Brigade in Cairns. In September 1897, he also became a visiting surgeon for Cairns prison. He did both of these jobs without pay. He continued in these roles until he passed away on June 28, 1901.
Dr. Koch became very respected in Cairns because he was a skilled doctor, kind, and always helped families in need. His understanding and successful treatment of tropical fevers, especially malaria, were incredibly important for Far North Queensland. During the 1880s, "fever" – usually malaria or typhoid – became very common in the region. This was especially true in mining areas, railway construction camps, and on sugar farms. Doctors mostly figured out what was wrong by watching patients and guessing. They treated illnesses based on what seemed to work. If it was malaria, they used a medicine called quinine, which worked well. If quinine didn't help, and it was typhoid, doctors often called it a "prolonged climatic fever." More complicated fevers were sometimes called "typho-malaria."
In the 1880s, Dr. Koch was one of the first people to understand that mosquitoes were carrying the malaria parasite. It wasn't until 1897 that a military doctor named Ronald Ross scientifically proved that a specific type of mosquito, anopheles farauti (which lives in Cairns and all of North Queensland), spread malaria. And it wasn't until 1904 that another doctor, RA O'Brien, actually saw malaria parasites under a microscope in North Queensland.
Dr. Koch created a special fever mixture. It contained quinine dissolved in a weak sulphuric acid solution. This mixture was designed to both treat malaria and help prevent it. 'Dr Koch's Celebrated Fever Mixture for Malaria' was made by a chemist in Cairns and was very effective. It was sold all over Far North Queensland and even in Papua New Guinea. Many people believe this mixture helped control the malaria problem in Cairns before the Second World War.
Besides making his famous mixture, Dr. Koch also strongly encouraged people to take steps to prevent malaria. He often visited groups of workers who were filling in swamps around Cairns. He would tell them to roll down their shirt sleeves after 4 PM each day to avoid mosquito bites. He also visited the Hambledon and Pyramid sugar plantations outside Cairns every two weeks. These plantations used workers from the South Sea Islands.
Later Life
Dr. Koch passed away on June 28, 1901, at his home on the Esplanade in Cairns. He was 57 years old. He was buried the next day in the McLeod Street Pioneer Cemetery.
Legacy
To honor Dr. Koch, who was so respected, people in Cairns raised money to build the Dr EA Koch Memorial. It was placed in the middle of the intersection of Abbott and Spence Streets in the town center. Major-General Sir Herbert Chermside, who was the Governor of Queensland, officially revealed the memorial on June 13, 1903. Later, the memorial was moved to Anzac Memorial Park in Cairns. This memorial is now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
In 1995, the Dr Edward Koch Foundation was started. It is a non-profit group that works to improve public health in North Queensland.
Images for kids
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Dr. Edward Albert Koch
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Dr. Koch's home on the Esplanade in Cairns around 1895
