Charles Nicolle Autograph

Profession:
(1866-1936) French bacteriologist who received the Nobel Prize in Medicine

Year of Birth: 1866

Charles Jules Henri Nicolle was born in Rouen, France on September 21, 1866. He was a French bacteriologist who was awarded the 1928 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the role of ticks in transmitting typhus. He was the first to discover that the bacterium responsible for typhus was transmitted by lice and that it was possible to prevent the spread of the disease by controlling the lice population.

Nicolle attended the University of Rouen and earned his medical degree in 1892. He then went on to the Pasteur Institute in Paris where he was exposed to the field of bacteriology. He continued his research with the Institute and in 1898 he was named director of the new laboratory for infectious diseases.

Nicolle's most famous work was his discovery of the role of ticks in transmitting typhus. In 1909, he noticed that when he removed the ticks from a patient, the symptoms of typhus disappeared. He then hypothesized that the ticks were responsible for transmitting the disease. To test his hypothesis, Nicolle infected a group of rats with typhus and then introduced ticks to them. He found that the ticks transferred the bacteria to other rats, proving his hypothesis.

Nicolle's work was of great importance in helping to control the spread of typhus. He suggested that it could be prevented by controlling the lice population rather than using vaccines. This proved to be an effective method and saved many lives. His work also earned him the Nobel Prize in 1928, making him the first French Nobel laureate in medicine.

Nicolle continued his research after the Nobel Prize. He studied other diseases such as cholera, plague, and tuberculosis, and published a number of scientific papers. He also served as the director of the Pasteur Institute from 1920 until his death in 1936.

Nicolle's work was highly influential, not only in the field of bacteriology, but also in public health. His discoveries helped to save countless lives and his legacy continues to this day. His name is synonymous with the fight against infectious diseases, and his work will continue to be remembered for generations to come.