Yersin

Yersin, Alexander (Alexandre John Emile Yersin, b. 1863), noted French bacteriologist. After graduating from university, he worked at the Pasteur Institute in Paris under Rou. Together with Rou, he conducted a series of works concerning the diphtheria toxin. He was the first to isolate the pure diphtheria toxin in 1888-90 and studied its effects on animals, which subsequently made it possible for Behring to prepare his serum. In 1894, while working on the plague epidemic in Hong Kong, Yersin discovered the plague bacillus simultaneously with Kitasato and independently of him; the bacillus bears his name. At the same time, Yersin attempted to prepare a specific serum against plague according to Behring's method (see). At the same time, Y. did not abandon his work on the diphtheria bacillus. In 1894, in collaboration with Rou, he showed that diphtheria bacilli can remain alive and virulent for several months. They also showed that diphtheria bacilli can remain alive in persons who have recovered from diphtheria for a long time. Thus, they established the concept of carriers of diphtheria bacilli. Y. founded the Pasteur Institute in Indochina, in Nha Trang, of which he is still director, while at the same time serving as inspector of all Pasteur institutes in Indochina. Y.'s works were published in the "Annales de l'Institut Pasteur" for 1888-90 and 1894-95. Among Y.'s works should be noted: "Contribution a l'etude de la diphtherie" (together with E. Rou; Annales de l'Institut Pasteur, v. II-III, 1888-89); "La peste bubonique a Hong-Kong" (ibid., v. VIII, 1895); "Etudes sur quelques epizooties de l'Indo-Chine" (ibid., v. XVIII, 1904).