Google today celebrated the 138th birthday ofPolish inventor, doctor, and immunologist Rudolf Weigl with a doodle. He hadproduced the first-ever effective vaccine against one of the oldest and mostinfectious diseases - epidemic typhus.
The noted biologist was born inAustro-Hungarian town of Przerow on September 2, 1883. He completed hisgraduation in biological sciences from the Lwow University in Poland in 1907and earned doctorate degrees in subjects such as zoology, comparative anatomy,and histology. In 1914, he was appointed as a parasitologist in the Polish Armyat a time when millions across Eastern Europe were plagued by typhus.
Determined to stop its spread, he startedconducting research on the disease and found that the root cause of it was licethat carried the infection. He then grew it in his laboratory and squashedtheir stomachs to create the vaccine. In 1936, Rudolf Weigl’s vaccinesuccessfully inoculated its first beneficiary. Later, when Nazi Germany heardabout him, he was asked to create a Typhus vaccine manufacturing plant. Forthat, he hired many of his Jewish colleagues and friends who were at the riskof getting persecuted. He even managed to smuggle the vaccines into theconcentration camps.
His work has been honored by not one but twoNobel Prize nominations. Weigl passed away on August 11, 1957.
Typhus might not be as dangerous as thecoronavirus, but it also claimed a lot of lives in the beginning of the 20thcentury. Weigl was a visionary who knew the value of further research in thefield of medicines and how it could impact the quality of life in the coming decades,so he also founded a research institute in Lviv.
He was also a humanitarian who put servingthe society ahead of anything else. His role during the holocaust was alsoremarkable as he worked for the welfare of many Jewish community members while puttinghis own life at risk.