July 01, 2016
Bulletin interne de l'Institut Pasteur
Tribute to Elie Metchnikoff in the journal Microbes and Infection
As celebrations are held to mark the centenary of Elie Metchnikoff's death, the article Centenary of the death of Elie Metchnikoff: a visionary and an outstanding team leader has just been published in the Institut Pasteur journal Microbes and Infection.
This article, jointly authored by Jean-Marc Cavaillon, Head of the Cytokines and Inflammation Unit, and Sandra Legout from the Scientific Information Resources Center, pays tribute to a scientist who spent 28 years at the Institut Pasteur, carried out research on 30 animal species and directed more than a hundred young scientists. A trained zoologist and embryologist, Metchnikoff was the father of innate immunity. The sheer volume of his research and his endless curiosity also led him to work in the fields of infectious diseases, development and aging. The article describes how Metchnikoff was also a philosopher, writing essays on human disharmony and on pessimism and optimism.
The Institut Pasteur is paying its own tribute to Elie Metchnikoff with an open exhibition that was launched on campus on June 20.