Ernst Moro

Ernst Moro

Ernst Moro in 1904
Born 8 December 1874
Laibach, Duchy of Carniola, Austria-Hungary (today Ljubljana, Slovenia
Died 1951
Nationality Austria
Occupation physician
pediatrician
Known for Moro reflex

Ernst Moro (8 December 1874 in Laibach, Duchy of Carniola, Austria-Hungary, today Ljubljana, Slovenia – 1951) was an Austrian physician and pediatrician who was the first in western medicine to describe the infant reflex that was named after him (Moro reflex).

Moro studied medicine in Graz, Austria, getting his M.D. in 1899. From 1901 to 1902 he worked with Theodor Escherich (1857–1911) in Vienna, the discoverer of the Escherichia coli bacterium. He was habilitated for pediatrics in Munich in 1906, and became a professor of pediatrics in the University of Heidelberg in 1911.

Besides the Moro reflex he became also known for the following:

In 1936, after the Nazis came to power, Moro resigned from his chair at the University of Heidelberg, alleging reasons of health. However the real motive was that he was married to Grete Moro, née Königsvald, of Jewish origin. He started a private clinic at Mozartstrasse 10 (where a commemorative plaque is now affixed) and retired in 1948.

Professor Moro's Carrot Soup

In 1908, diarrhea killed many babies in Germany. Professor Moro, at that time the head of a children hospital in Heidelberg, found out by experiment that a simple carrot soup decreased the death rate of babies suffering from diarrhea by nearly 50% . The soup was made by pureeing 500 grams of peeled carrots in a blender, adding 1 liter of water, and then cooking it for one hour. After cooking, 3 grams of salt were added, along with enough water until the soup pot contained a total of 1 liter of liquid.

A German study published in 2002[1] outlines that acidic oligosaccharides formed in aqueous extracts from carrots (carrot soup) may lead to less adherence of bacterial agents to the mucosal wall of the bowel, thus being a more effective treatment for acute gastrointestinal infections of children than glucose-electrolyte-solution oral rehydration.

In 2009, experiments showed that Professor Moro's Carrot Soup can treat diarrhea caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.[2]

Personal

Moro was married to Margareta Hönigswald. His son, Peter Moro, was a noted London architect.

References

  1. Kastner, U; Glasl S; Follrich B; Guggenbichler JP; Jurenitsch J (2002). "Acid oligosaccharides as the active principle of aqueous carrot extracts for prevention and therapy of gastrointestinal infections". Wien Med Wochenschr. 152 (15-16): 379–81. PMID 12244882.
  2. Professor Moro's carrot soup (Article in German)
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