The chemist who is the topic of this writing 

was a genius medical mind, disease-fighting. 

 

He was born in 1895 Germany, Lagow. 

Cuts and scrapes could kill, while medical help was low. 

 

He attended Kiel University, and joined the WW1 military. 

He saw first-hand the inefficiency of the average infirmary. 

 

He finished at Kiel, and became a lecturer. 

Then went to work for a lab, a climate for a researcher. 

 

It was there he made his crowning discovery.  

He discovered Prontosil, a win from a lottery. 

 

It was a wonder; a truly incredible medical feat. 

The first antibiotic, victory so sweet. 

 

At first, he was barraged with skepticism and uncertainty 

But later he was accepted by the wider medical community.  

 

He won the 1939 Nobel Medical Prize,  

Gained fame, with his success formalized. 

 

He had to turn it down, however, 

as Hitler did not want any German citizens to accept it. Ever. 

 

When the war ended and Hitler's ban lifted,  

he received the prize, though the money had been regifted.   

  

He later retired, studying carcinoma and tuberculosis. 

He died at the age of 68, a victim of appendicitis. 

 

This chemist was a revolutionary, creating a medical landmark. 

And his name, forever to be remembered, is Gerhard Domagk.