Ernst Moro. His famous soup saved thousands of children. But he has much more merit

Ernst Moro was an Austrian pediatrician who contributed significantly to the development of pediatrics and the decline in infant mortality. He discovered many important aspects that medicine uses to this day. He was the first to describe the neonatal reflex, known as the “Moro reflex”, and he noticed the influence of mother’s milk on the child’s immunity or the healing effect of carrot soup in the case of diarrhea. As his wife was Jewish, his academic career was interrupted in the 30s.

1. Ernst Moro was one of the first pediatricians. He lived and worked at a time when pediatrics was taking its first steps as an independent specialization
2. Doctor Moro paid special attention to the first months of the baby’s life and digestive problems
3. He discovered the health effects of carrot soup and its inhibition of diarrhea, which saved the lives of many children
4. His achievements are important for medicine to this day
5. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

The beginnings of pediatrics in Europe

The first pediatrics department was established in Vienna, Austria in 1884, then in Berlin and Austrian Graz. Pediatrics in the latter city was led by Theodor Escherich, an Austrian physician whose research into the intestinal flora of newborns led to the discovery of Escherichia coli.

It was in Escherich’s laboratory that Ernst Moro started working. Born on December 8, 1874 in Ljubljana, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he graduated in medicine from the University of Graz. His career with Escherich began with research on the physiology of digestion in infants. In 1900, at the age of only 26, he isolated bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus, and eight years later gained international recognition thanks to the tuberculosis skin test, which until the 60s was known in many countries as “test Fun”.

In 1911 he became head of the Children’s Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany. Moro in his research focused especially on the earliest months of a child’s life. Many aspects of pediatrics that this field uses to this day are the result of the work of Ernst Moro. It was he who distinguished the first three months of pregnancy as a separate period, as did the first three months of an infant’s life. Moreover developed the so-called Moro reflex, or the hug reflexwhich helps detect spastic cerebral palsy in newborns. He also discovered valuable properties of breast milk and its influence on the child’s immunity. He was the first to describe irritable bowel syndrome in children and developed a formula for the formula milk, also known as Moro milk.

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Carrot soup for diarrhea

The times Ernst Moro lived were difficult for newborn children. Infant mortality was as high as 25%, with diarrhea being one of the leading causes of death. Dr. Moro developed a simple and effective cure, saving thousands of children.

He made his own carrot soup recipe. It had only 3 ingredients: 500 g of carrots, 1 liter of water and a pinch of salt. Boil the carrots in water for 90 minutes, then drain the water, make a carrot paste, add salt and add boiling water to the desired consistency of the soup.

1. Carrots in the diet. What to watch out for when reaching for a carrot

Thanks to carrot soup, mortality and intestinal problems in children have significantly decreased. Years later, studies on the properties of the soup showed that the oligosaccharides in carrot soup prevented bacteria from sticking to the gut wall, thus stopping the diarrhea.

End of career due to origin

In 1938, after the Nazis came to power, Moro resigned from the Heidelberg hospital. He mentioned health reasons as the reason, however, the real reason had to do with his wife’s Jewish origins, Grete Königsvald. Ernst Moro opened a private clinic and ended his apprenticeship after the war in 1948.

He died on April 17, 1951 in Heidelberg. He was 77 years old.

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