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Saul Adler

Saul Adler. Photograph by Harris. Wellcome V0025953.jpg
Born (1895-05-17)17 May 1895
Died 25 January 1966(1966-01-25) (aged 70)
Alma mater Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
University of Leeds
Awards Fellow of the Royal Society
Scientific career
Fields Parasitology

Saul Adler was a very important Israeli scientist who studied parasitology. This is the study of parasites, which are tiny living things that live on or inside other living things. He was born on May 17, 1895, and passed away on January 25, 1966. He made many big discoveries in tropical medicine and helped improve health for many people.

Early Life and Learning

Saul Adler was born in 1895 in a place called Kerelits, which is now in Belarus. When he was five years old, in 1900, his family moved to England and settled in a city called Leeds.

He went to the University of Leeds and also studied at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. This is where he learned a lot about diseases that are common in warm, tropical places. His brother, Solomon Adler, was also a well-known economist.

A Career Helping People

Saul Adler. Photograph by Werner Braun. Wellcome V0027916
Saul Adler, a leading scientist.

From 1917 to 1920, Saul Adler served in the army as a captain. He worked in the Middle East, where he became very interested in tropical medicine. After his army service, he started studying this field more deeply in Liverpool.

In 1921, he traveled to Sierra Leone in Africa to do research on Malaria, a serious disease spread by mosquitoes.

A few years later, in 1924, a famous leader named Chaim Weizmann offered him a job in Jerusalem. The goal was to help create a new Institute of Microbiology. Saul Adler moved to Mandatory Palestine (which is now Israel) and began working at Hadassah Hospital. By 1927, he became the director of the parasitology department there. He also became a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, teaching from 1928 to 1955.

Amazing Discoveries and Contributions

Saul Adler made several important contributions to science and health.

In 1930, he worked with another scientist, Israel Aharoni. They brought three Syrian hamsters from Syria and successfully bred them in a lab. This was a big deal because it led to the domestication of the Syrian hamster, which became important for scientific research.

In the 1940s, he helped develop a special vaccine for a disease called leishmaniasis. This vaccine used live parasites and was used in Israel and Russia for many years. It helped protect people from this disease.

He also helped find ways to treat malaria, which was a major health problem at the time. His work saved many lives.

Saul Adler also suggested that the famous scientist Charles Darwin's long-term illness might have been Chagas disease. Even though this idea was later found to be incorrect, it sparked a lot of interest in Darwin's health history.

He also translated Charles Darwin's famous book, The Origin of Species, into Hebrew in 1960. This helped many more people in Israel read and understand Darwin's important ideas.

Awards and Recognition

Saul Adler received many awards and honors for his amazing work:

  • In 1933, he received the Chalmers Medal from the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in London.
  • In 1947, he was given the Order of the British Empire (OBE), a special award from the United Kingdom.
  • In 1957, he won the Israel Prize for medicine, which is one of the highest honors in Israel.
  • Also in 1957, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society in London. He was the very first Israeli citizen to receive this honor.
  • In 1965, he received an Honorary doctorate from the University of Leeds, his old university.
  • He also received the Solomon Bublick Award and the Order of the Phoenix from Greece.
  • A street in Jerusalem is named after him, and a room at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem was built in his honor.
  • In 1995, his picture even appeared on a stamp in Israel!

Legacy

Saul Adler passed away in Jerusalem on January 25, 1966. His funeral was attended by the President of Israel, showing how important he was to the country. His work continues to inspire scientists and help people around the world.

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