Jeanne Guillemin facts for kids

Jeanne Harley Guillemin (born March 6, 1943 – died November 15, 2019) was an American expert. She studied how health, culture, and society connect. She taught at Boston College for 25 years. She was also a senior fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Jeanne Guillemin was a leading authority on biological weapons. She wrote four important books about them.

Her Life and Education

Jeanne Elizabeth Garrigan was born on March 6, 1943. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York City. Later, her family moved to Rutherford, New Jersey. She went to Harvard University and earned a degree in social psychology in 1968. In 1973, she received her PhD from Brandeis University. Her studies were in sociology and anthropology. She taught at Boston College from 1972 until 2005.

Research in Medical Ethics

While at Boston College, Dr. Guillemin did a lot of research. She studied hospital technology and medical ethics. Medical ethics is about right and wrong in healthcare. She received special grants for her work. She worked with the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. She also worked at the Hastings Center for the Study of Ethics. She helped lead the National Library of Medicine's HealthAware Project. This project worked with Harvard Medical School. They tested how the internet could teach people about staying healthy.

Family Life

Jeanne married Robert Guillemin and they had two sons. Their sons were named Robert and John. Later, she divorced her first husband. In 1986, she married Matthew Meselson.

Investigating Biological Weapons

In the 1980s, Dr. Guillemin became very interested. She studied how science could be misused. Especially how governments used it for weapons. She joined her husband, Matthew Meselson, in two investigations. These investigations looked into possible germ weapon use. They checked if countries broke international agreements.

The "Yellow Rain" Mystery

One investigation was about "yellow rain". The United States said the Soviet Union helped use deadly toxins. These toxins were supposedly used against Hmong refugees. This happened during the Vietnam War. Matthew Meselson disagreed in 1983. He thought the yellow material was actually bee droppings. Dr. Guillemin helped with this research. The U.S. government still says the issue is not fully solved.

The Sverdlovsk Anthrax Outbreak

In 1992, Dr. Guillemin joined another big investigation. This was about an anthrax outbreak in 1979. It happened in Sverdlovsk, a secret Soviet city. The Soviet government said people got sick from bad meat. Dr. Guillemin interviewed the families of victims. Sixty-four people were recorded as dying. Her interviews helped create a map. This map showed the anthrax came from the air. It came from a military building. This building was testing anthrax weapons. This was against the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention.

Sharing Her Discoveries

In 1994, their research results were published. They appeared in the famous journal Science. In 1999, Dr. Guillemin published a book. It was called Anthrax: The Investigation of a Deadly Outbreak. This book shared all her findings.

Her Work After 9/11

After the 9/11 attacks, anthrax letters were sent. Many people asked Dr. Guillemin to explain anthrax. She used her experience from Russia to help. In 2005, she published another book. It was called Biological Weapons: From State-sponsored Programs to Contemporary Bioterrorism. This book explained how microbes became weapons. It covered the 20th century. It also talked about the danger of bioterrorism today. Her third book on biological weapons was about the anthrax letters. It was called American Anthrax: Fear, Crime, and the Investigation of the Nation's Deadliest Bioterror Attack. This book came out in 2011.

Later Years and Legacy

In 2006, Dr. Guillemin joined the MIT Center for International Studies. She was a research associate and senior advisor. In October 2019, she created a special fund. This fund helps female PhD students studying international affairs. Jeanne Guillemin passed away on November 15, 2019. She was 76 years old.

Books She Wrote

• Guillemin, Jeanne, Urban Renegades: The Cultural Strategy of American Indians, Columbia University Press, 1975.
• Guillemin, Jeanne Harley and Lynda Lytle Holmstrom, Mixed Blessings: Intensive Care for Newborns, Oxford University Press, 1986.
• Guillemin, Jeanne, Anthrax: The Investigation of a Deadly Outbreak, Berkeley, University of California Press, 1999.
• Guillemin, Jeanne, Anthrax and Smallpox: Comparison of Two Outbreaks, National Technical Information Service, 2002.
• Guillemin, Jeanne, Biological Weapons: From the Invention of State-sponsored Programs to Contemporary Bioterrorism, Columbia University Press, 2005.
• Guillemin, Jeanne, American Anthrax, Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2011.
• Guillemin, Jeanne, Hidden Atrocities: Japanese Germ Warfare and American Obstruction of Justice at the Tokyo Trial, Columbia University Press, 2017.

Books with Her Introductions

• Mead, Margaret, Kinship in the Admiralty Islands, American Museum of Natural History, 1934 [Transaction Publishers edition, 2001].
• Brown, Fredric Joseph, Chemical Warfare: A Study in Restraints, Princeton University Press, 1968 [Transaction Publishers edition, 2005].

Books She Edited

• Guillemin, Jeanne (editor), Anthropological Realities: Readings in the Science of Culture, Transaction Publishers, 1980.