born Feb. 20, 1901, Saint-Brice, France
died Feb. 20, 1982, New York, N.Y., U.S.
French-born U.S. microbiologist and environmentalist.
He immigrated to the U.S. in 1924 and earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers University. His pioneering research in isolating antibacterial substances from soil microorganisms led to the discovery of major antibiotics. He researched and wrote on antibiotics, acquired immunity, tuberculosis, and the bacteria of the gastrointestinal tract. In his later years his interest shifted to the relationship of humans to the natural environment; his So Human an Animal (1968) won the Pulitzer Prize. See also Selman Waksman .