David Wilson Talmage (September 15, 1919 – March 6, 2014) was an American immunologist. He made significant contributions to the

clonal selection In immunology, clonal selection theory explains the functions of cells of the immune system (lymphocytes) in response to specific antigens invading the body. The concept was introduced by Australian doctor Frank Macfarlane Burnet in 1957, in an ...

theory.

Career

Talmage was born to American Presbyterian missionaries in Japanese-controlled Korea. He was educated by home school and mission school until attending a boarding school in

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

for secondary education. Talmage received his BS from

Davidson College Davidson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after American Revolutiona ...

in 1941 and his MD from

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

in 1944. From 1952 to 1959 he was associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. From 1959 he was professor of medicine at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

, professor of microbiology from 1960 to 1986, and distinguished professor starting in 1986. Between 1973 and 1983 he served as director of Webb-Waring Lung Institute and as associate dean of research from 1983 to 1986. He won the inaugural American Association of Immunologists Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. Talmage's protégé

Andor Szentivanyi Asthma is a common Lung, pulmonary condition defined by chronic inflammation of respiratory tubes, tightening of respiratory smooth muscle, and episodes of bronchoconstriction. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 in 11 ch ...

discovered The Beta Adrenergic Theory of Asthma. He died at the age of 94 on March 6, 2014.

References

* 1919 births Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences 2014 deaths American immunologists Davidson College alumni Washington University School of Medicine alumni University of Chicago faculty University of Colorado Denver faculty American expatriates in Korea Members of the National Academy of Medicine {{US-physician-stub