Alexandre Emile Jean Yersin (22 September 1863 – 1 March 1943) was a
Swiss-
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
physician and
bacteriologist
A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology -- a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learning about bacteria, ...
. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the
bacillus
''Bacillus'' (Latin "stick") is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria, a member of the phylum ''Bacillota'', with 266 named species. The term is also used to describe the shape (rod) of other so-shaped bacteria; and the plural ''Bacill ...
responsible for the
bubonic plague
Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium (''Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well ...
or pest, which was later named in his honour: ''
Yersinia pestis''. Another bacteriologist, the Japanese physician
Kitasato Shibasaburō
Baron was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the infectious agent of bubonic plague in Hong Kong during an outbreak in 1894, almost simultaneously with Alexandre Yersin.
Kitasato was nominat ...
, is often credited with independently identifying the bacterium a few days earlier, but may have identified a different bacterium and not the pathogen-causing plague. Yersin also demonstrated for the first time that the same bacillus was present in the
rodent as well as in the human disease, thus underlining the possible means of transmission.
Early life and education
Yersin was born in 1863 in
Aubonne, in the
canton of Vaud
Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital c ...
,
Switzerland, as the posthumous son of Jean-Alexandre-Marc Yersin from his wife Fanny-Isaline-Emilie Moschell. From 1883 to 1884 he studied
medicine at
Lausanne, followed by
Marburg, and
Paris (1884–1886).
Career
In 1886, Yersin entered
Louis Pasteur's research laboratory at the
École Normale Supérieure, by invitation of
Emile Roux, and participated in the development of the anti-
rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, vi ...
serum. In 1888 he received his doctorate with a dissertation titled ''Étude sur le Développement du Tubercule Expérimental''
tudy on the Development of Experimental Tuberculeand spent two months with
Robert Koch
Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch ( , ; 11 December 1843 – 27 May 1910) was a German physician and microbiologist. As the discoverer of the specific causative agents of deadly infectious diseases including tuberculosis, cholera (though the bacteri ...
in Germany.
He joined the recently created
Pasteur Institute in 1889 as Roux's collaborator and discovered with him the
diphtheric toxin, produced by the ''
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
''Corynebacterium diphtheriae'' is the pathogenic bacterium that causes diphtheria. It is also known as the Klebs–Löffler bacillus, because it was discovered in 1884 by German bacteriologists Edwin Klebs (1834–1912) and Friedrich Löffl ...
'' bacillus.
In order to practice medicine in France, Yersin applied for and obtained French nationality in 1888. Soon afterwards (1890), he left for
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
(current Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) in
Southeast Asia as a physician for the ''Messageries Maritimes'' company, on the
Saigon
, population_density_km2 = 4,292
, population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2
, population_demonym = Saigonese
, blank_name = GRP (Nominal)
, blank_info = 2019
, blank1_name = – Total
, blank1_ ...
-
Manila line and then on the Saigon-
Haiphong line. He participated in one of the
Auguste Pavie
Auguste Jean-Marie Pavie (31 May 1847 – 7 June 1925) was a French colonial civil servant, explorer and diplomat who was instrumental in establishing French control over Laos in the last two decades of the 19th century. After a long career in ...
missions. In 1894 Yersin was sent by request of the French government and the Pasteur Institute to
Hong Kong, to investigate
the plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
happening there.
There, in a small hut since he was denied access to British hospitals at his arrival, he made his greatest discovery: that of the
pathogen which causes the disease. Dr
Kitasato Shibasaburō
Baron was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the infectious agent of bubonic plague in Hong Kong during an outbreak in 1894, almost simultaneously with Alexandre Yersin.
Kitasato was nominat ...
, also in Hong Kong, had identified a bacterium several days earlier. There is controversy whether this was the same pneumococci or a mix of the two. Because Kitasato's initial reports were vague and somewhat contradictory, some give Yersin sole credit for the discovery. However, a 1976 thorough analysis of the
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
of the organism discovered by Kitasato determined that "we are confident that Kitasato had examined the plague bacillus in Hong Kong in late June and early July 1894", only days after Yersin announced his own discovery on 20 June, and that Kitasato "should not be denied this credit". The plague bacillus develops better at lower temperatures, so Yersin's less well-equipped lab turned out to be an advantage in the race with Kitasato, who used an incubator. Therefore, although at first named “Kitasato-Yersin bacillus” by the scientific community, the microbe will later assume only the latter's name because of the one identified by Kitasato, a type of
streptococcus, cannot be found in the
lymphatic glands. Yersin was also able to demonstrate for the first time that the same bacillus was present in the
rodent as well as in the human disease, thus underlining the possible means of transmission. This important discovery was communicated to the
French Academy of Sciences in the same year, by his colleague
Emile Duclaux
Emil or Emile may refer to:
Literature
*''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
* ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life
*''Emil and the Detective ...
, in a classic paper titled "La peste bubonique à Hong-Kong".
From 1895 to 1897, Yersin further pursued his studies on the bubonic plague. In 1895 he returned to the Institute Pasteur in Paris and with Émile Roux,
Albert Calmette
Léon Charles Albert Calmette ForMemRS (12 July 1863 – 29 October 1933) was a French physician, bacteriologist and immunologist, and an important officer of the Pasteur Institute. He discovered the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin, an attenuated fo ...
and
Amédée Borrel
Amédée Marie Vincent Borrel (1 August 1867 – 14 September 1936) was a French physician and microbiologist born in Cazouls-lès-Béziers, Hérault.
Biography
Borrel studied natural sciences and medicine at the University of Montpellier, ...
, prepared the first anti-plague
serum
Serum may refer to:
* Serum (blood), plasma from which the clotting proteins have been removed
**Antiserum, blood serum with specific antibodies for passive immunity
* Serous fluid, any clear bodily fluid
*Truth serum, a drug that is likely to mak ...
. In the same year, he returned to
Indochina, where he installed a small laboratory at
Nha Trang
Nha Trang ( or ; ) is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa Province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the north by Ninh Hoà town, on the south by Cam Ranh city and on the west by Diên Khánh District. The city has ...
to manufacture the serum (in 1905 this laboratory became a branch of the Pasteur Institute). Yersin tried the serum received from Paris in
Canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ente ...
and
Amoy
Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...
, in 1896, and in
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
,
India, in 1897, with disappointing results. Having decided to stay in his country of adoption, he participated actively in the creation of
the Medical School of
Ha Noi in 1902, and was its first director, until 1904.
Yersin tried his hand at
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
and was a pioneer in the cultivation of
rubber tree
''Hevea brasiliensis'', the Pará rubber tree, ''sharinga'' tree, seringueira, or most commonly, rubber tree or rubber plant, is a flowering plant belonging to the spurge family Euphorbiaceae originally native to the Amazon basin, but is now pan ...
s (''Hevea brasiliensis'') imported from
Brazil into Indochina. For this purpose, he obtained in 1897 a concession from the government to establish an agricultural station at
Suoi Dau. He opened a new station at
Hon Ba in 1915, where he tried to acclimatize the
quinine tree (''Cinchona ledgeriana''), which was imported from the
Andes in
South America by the
Spaniards
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both ...
, and which produced the first known effective remedy for preventing and treating
malaria, a disease which prevails in Southeast Asia to this day.
Alexandre Yersin is well remembered in Vietnam, where he was affectionately called Ông Năm (Mr Nam/Fifth) by the people.
On 8 January 1902, Yersin was accredited to be the first Headmaster of
Hanoi Medical University by the
Governor-General of French Indochina
European (as well as Japanese and Chinese) colonial administrators had historically been responsible for the territory of French Indochina, an area equivalent to modern-day Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and the Chinese city of Zhanjiang.
List of ...
, future president of France
Paul Doumer
Joseph Athanase Doumer, commonly known as Paul Doumer (; 22 March 18577 May 1932), was the President of France from 13 June 1931 until his assassination on 7 May 1932.
Biography
Joseph Athanase Doumer was born in Aurillac, in the Cantal ''dépar ...
.
In 1934 he was nominated honorary director of Pasteur Institute and a member of its Board of Administration.
Death and legacy in Vietnam
He died at his home in
Nha Trang
Nha Trang ( or ; ) is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa Province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the north by Ninh Hoà town, on the south by Cam Ranh city and on the west by Diên Khánh District. The city has ...
, in 1943.
Following the country's independence, streets named in his honor kept their designation and his tomb in Suoi Dau was graced by a pagoda where rites are performed in his worship.
Yersin Market in
Ho Chi Minh City was named after him. His house in Nha Trang is now the
Yersin Museum, and the epitaph on his tombstone describes him as a "Benefactor and humanist, venerated by the Vietnamese people".
In
Ha Noi, the
Lycée français Alexandre Yersin, a French international school was named after him.
A private university founded in 2004 in
Da Lat
Da Lat (also written as Dalat, vi, Đà Lạt; ), is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province and the largest city of the Central Highlands region in Vietnam. The city is located above sea level on the Langbian Plateau. Da Lat is one of the mo ...
was named "Yersin University" in his honour
rường Đại Học Yersin Đà Lạt
Miscellaneous
Dr Yersin was credited with founding the site for the new town of
Da Lat
Da Lat (also written as Dalat, vi, Đà Lạt; ), is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province and the largest city of the Central Highlands region in Vietnam. The city is located above sea level on the Langbian Plateau. Da Lat is one of the mo ...
in 1893. Because of the high altitude and European-like climate, Da Lat became an
R&R spot for French officers. There was a high school named after him which was built in the 1920s, the
Lycée Yersin, aka Grand Lycée (grade 6 to 12), the Petit Lycée (elementary to grade 5), and a university named after him which was built in the 2000s.
While in Hong Kong, Yersin was helped in his research by an Italian priest of the
PIME
The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions or PIME ( la, Pontificium Institutum pro Missionibus Exteris; it, Pontificio Istituto Missioni Estere) is a society of secular priests and lay people who dedicate their lives to missionary activities ...
order named Bernardo Vigano. He provided cadavers and assisted with his quest to find a remedy for the plague.
References
Bibliography
English
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
French
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Patrick Deville, ''Peste et choléra'',
éditions du Seuil
Éditions du Seuil (), also known as ''Le Seuil'', is a French publishing house established in 1935 by Catholic intellectual Jean Plaquevent (1901–1965), and currently owned by La Martinière Groupe. It owes its name to this goal "The ''seuil'' ...
, collection « Fiction & Cie », 2012 ().
*
*
*
*
*
Other languages
*
*
External links
Alexandre Yersin and his adventures in Vietnam Pasteur Brewing
Repères chronologiques. Institut Pasteur, Paris (In French).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yersin, Alexandre Emile John
1863 births
1943 deaths
People from Aubonne
Nha Trang
Swiss bacteriologists
University of Lausanne alumni
Plague (disease)
Health in Vietnam
Recipients of the Legion of Honour