Step 1: Background.
Elie Metchnikoff, a Russian zoologist and immunologist, first described phagocytosis in 1882 while studying starfish larvae. He observed mobile cells (now known as macrophages) engulfing foreign particles and proposed that these cells were the basis of immunity.
Step 2: Other scientists.
(B) Robert Hooke: Discovered cells in 1665 by observing cork under a microscope. ❌
(C) Robert Koch: Pioneered germ theory, Koch’s postulates, discovered pathogens (anthrax, TB, cholera). ❌
(D) Paul Ehrlich: Known for “magic bullet” concept and development of Salvarsan (syphilis treatment). ❌
Step 3: Nobel Prize.
Metchnikoff shared the 1908 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Paul Ehrlich for work on immunity. Metchnikoff specifically for cellular immunity (phagocytosis), Ehrlich for humoral immunity.
Thus, phagocytosis was first described by Elie Metchnikoff.
