1916-
Eminent Virologist; Developer of the First Polio Vaccine

Useful Failure.

Hilary Koprowski developed the first polio vaccine tried on humans, but it failed, and his work in the field was overshadowed by the successes of Drs. Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin. Even so, Dr. Koprowski's polio research revealed much about the structure and operation of the virus. He later distinguished himself for his research in cell biology as director of the Wistar Institute.

Yellow Fever.

Koprowski emigrated from Poland in 1939. He took a position on the staff of the Yellow Fever Research Service of the Rockefeller Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he worked on the development of vaccines against a parasitic disease related to yellow fever. In Brazil he gained much experience with infectious viral disease patterns and with vaccination using attenuated, or weakened, strains of virus.

Lederle Labs.

Beginning in 1946 Koprowski worked...