Camille Guérin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Camille Guérin
|
|
|---|---|
Camille Guérin, a portrait of Albert Calmette is seen to the right
|
|
| Born | 22 December 1872 Poitiers, France
|
| Died | 9 June 1961 (aged 88) Paris, France
|
| Known for | Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Bacteriology |
| Institutions | Institut Pasteur de Lille |
Jean-Marie Camille Guérin (born December 22, 1872 – died June 9, 1961) was a French veterinarian and scientist. He was an expert in bacteriology, which is the study of tiny living things called bacteria. He also studied immunology, which is about how our bodies fight off diseases.
Camille Guérin is famous for working with another scientist, Albert Calmette. Together, they created a very important vaccine called Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). This vaccine helps protect people from a serious disease called tuberculosis.
About His Life
Camille Guérin was born in a town called Poitiers in France. His family did not have a lot of money. Sadly, his father died from tuberculosis when Camille was young. This might have inspired him to fight the disease later in life.
He went to veterinary school from 1892 to 1896. While studying, he worked with a famous animal doctor named Edmond Nocard.
Starting His Research
In 1897, Camille Guérin joined the Institut Pasteur de Lille in Lille, France. This was a famous research center. There, he began working with Albert Calmette, who was the director.
Guérin started by helping to make important medicines. He helped prepare a special serum that worked against snake bites. He also helped make a smallpox vaccine. He found better ways to make these medicines. For example, he used rabbits to improve the smallpox vaccine.
Working on the Tuberculosis Vaccine
By 1900, Camille Guérin became a Head of Laboratory. From 1905 to 1928, he focused almost all his time on finding a vaccine for tuberculosis. He worked very closely with Calmette on this project.
In 1905, they made an important discovery. They found that a type of tuberculosis bacteria from cows, called Mycobacterium bovis, could make animals immune to the disease without making them sick. This was a big step!
Guérin and Calmette then worked to make this bacteria weaker. They grew it many, many times in different ways. This process made the bacteria less harmful but still able to teach the body to fight tuberculosis.
In 1908, they had a preparation that could be used to make a vaccine. They published their findings, and this preparation became known as BCG.
Success with BCG
Camille Guérin was promoted again in 1919. Finally, in 1921, after 230 times of growing and weakening the BCG bacteria, they had an effective vaccine. This vaccine could now be used to protect humans!
In 1928, Guérin moved to Paris. He became the director of the Tuberculosis Service at the Pasteur Institute there.
He continued to be a leader in the fight against tuberculosis. In 1939, he became a vice-president of a national committee against the disease. He also led the First International Congress on BCG in 1948. He was even president of important groups like the Veterinary Academy of France.
In 1955, he received a major award, the Scientific Grand Prix, from the French Academy of Sciences.
Camille Guérin passed away in Paris in 1961, at the age of 88. His work with Albert Calmette saved countless lives around the world.
