WAKSMAN, SELMAN


Meaning of WAKSMAN, SELMAN in English

born July 22, 1888, Priluka, Ukraine, Russian Empire

died Aug. 16, 1973, Hyannis, Mass., U.S.

Ukrainian-born U.S. biochemist.

He became a U.S. citizen in 1916 and spent most of his career at Rutgers University. After the discovery of penicillin, he played a major role in initiating a calculated, systematic search for antibiotics (a term he coined in 1941) among microorganisms. His 1943 discovery of streptomycin, the first specific agent effective in the treatment of tuberculosis, brought him a 1952 Nobel Prize. Waksman also isolated and developed several other antibiotics, including neomycin, that have been used in treating many infectious diseases of humans, domestic animals, and plants.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.