Zvi Saliternik ( he, צבי סליטרניק; 16 May 1897 – 1994) was an Israeli

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Biography

Sliternik was born in 1897 in

Ploskirów Khmelnytskyi ( uk, Хмельни́цький, Khmelnytskyi, ), until 1954 Proskuriv ( uk, Проску́рів, links=no ), is a city in western Ukraine, the administrative center for Khmelnytskyi Oblast (region) and Khmelnytskyi Raion (distr ...

, in the

Podolia Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...

region of

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

(now known as Khmelnytskyi, in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

). He began studying medicine in Russia, but did not complete his studies before

emigrating Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

in 1919 to

Mandate Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...

. There he met Shoshanah Lissauer, a Jewish tourist volunteer from

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, whom he married in 1929. He returned to his studies, studying biology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1946, he received a doctorate. Sliternik began his entomology work in 1921, as a member of a small unit headed by Dr. Israel Kligler, to develop inexpensive and efficient methods of fighting

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or deat ...

, which ultimately resulted in the total eradication of malaria in 1962. He was appointed regional supervisor for the elimination of malaria in the

Jezreel Valley The Jezreel Valley (from the he, עמק יזרעאל, translit. ''ʿĒmeq Yīzrəʿēʿl''), or Marj Ibn Amir ( ar, مرج ابن عامر), also known as the Valley of Megiddo, is a large fertile plain and inland valley in the Northern Distri ...

and supervised the draining of the marshes in the vicinity of

Hadera Hadera ( he, חֲדֵרָה ) is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel, in the northern Sharon region, approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along 7 km (5&nb ...

, as well as additional areas throughout the country. Sliternik served as director of entomological service in the IDF in 1948 and was subsequently director of the entomological department in the

Israel Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health ( he, מִשְׂרַד הַבְּרִיאוּת, translit. ''Misrad HaBri'ut'') is a ministry in the Israeli government, responsible for formulating health policies. The ministry plans, supervises, licenses, and coordinates ...

from 1949 to 1962.

Awards

* In 1962, Sliternik was awarded the Israel Prize, in medicine, for his work on the eradication of malaria in Israel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sliternik, Zvi 1897 births 1993 deaths Israeli entomologists Israel Prize in medicine recipients Malariologists Ukrainian Jews Jews in Mandatory Palestine Israeli people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Jewish scientists People from Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine 20th-century Israeli zoologists Soviet emigrants to Mandatory Palestine

Biography

Awards

See also

References