An antibody is a protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralise foreign objects like bacteria and viruses. Each antibody recognises a specific antigen unique to its target. Production of antibodies is referred to as the humoral immune system.
Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow was born on October 13, 1821 in the town of Schivelbein, in the German Kingdom of Prussia. Today the town is called Åwidwin and lies in Poland. His father was Carl Christian Siegfried Virchow, a farmer, and town treasurer of Schivelbein; his mother was Johanna Maria Hesse.
Virchow's most widely known contribution was his development on cell theory. He was cited for being the first to recognize leukemia cells and that all cells came from pre-existing cells. At first Virchow did not believe the evidence for cell division, that it only occurs in certain types of cells. Rudolph Virchow proposed the third and final part of cell theory, and in completion of the puzzle, he received the Copley Medal in 1892.