Rudolf Weigl

Rudolf Weigl
Rudolf Weigl in his laboratory
Born(1883-09-02)2 September 1883
Died11 August 1957(1957-08-11) (aged 73)
Resting placeRakowicki Cemetery, Kraków, Poland
NationalityPolish
Known forInventor of vaccine against epidemic typhus
SpouseZofia Weigl
AwardsRighteous Among the Nations (2003)
Scientific career
FieldsBiology
Institutions

Rudolf Stefan Jan Weigl (2 September 1883 – 11 August 1957) was a Polish biologist, physician and inventor, known for creating the first effective vaccine against epidemic typhus. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine each year between 1930 and 1934, and from 1936 to 1939.[1]

Weigl worked during the Holocaust to save the lives of countless Jews by developing the vaccine for typhus and providing shelter to protect those suffering under the Nazi Germans in occupied Poland.[2] For his contributions, he was named a Righteous Among the Nations in 2003.

  1. ^ "Nomination archive Rudolf Weigl". The Nobel Institute. April 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  2. ^ "The Doctor Who Protected Jews from Disease and Destruction". International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. 2020-01-29. Archived from the original on 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2021-03-22.