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Ernst Moro

Ernst Moro (8 December 1874 in Laibach, Duchy of Carniola, Austria-Hungary, today Ljubljana, Slovenia – 1951) was an Austrian physician and pediatrician who discovered the infant reflex which 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: Proved the sterility of the normal small intestine Discovered that breast-fed children have stronger bactericidal activity in their blood than bottle-fed ones First described the irritable colon syndrome or recurrent abdominal pain ("Nabelkoliken") in children Isolated the bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus from the stomach of children, which is caused by the souring of milk products Developed the Moro test (percutaneous tuberculin reaction) Coined the terms "first trimester" and "biological spring" Invented "Moro's milk", an infant-feeding formula composed by full cream milk with added 3% flour, 5% butter and 5-7% sugar. Invented Professor Moro's Carrot soup, which decreased the death rate of babies by diarrhea in Germany dramatically.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.