Robert Koch presented his findings on March 24, 1882, at the Berlin Physiological Society, demonstrating the tubercle bacillus as the causative agent of tuberculosis and thereby establishing its etiology. In commemoration of this landmark discovery, March 24 is observed annually worldwide as World Tuberculosis Day.
He was awarded the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his pioneering discoveries in tuberculosis.
Credit: Historical Image of Robert Koch in his laboratory. Source: Wikimedia Commons.