Dr. Maurice Hilleman, Vaccine LEGEND, dies at age 85

AMP News Service, April 14, 2005

The man credited with saving more lives than any other scientist in the past century, microbiologist Maurice R. Hilleman, died Monday in Philadelphia. He was 85.

Dr. Hilleman and his team at Merck & Co. developed about three dozen experimental and licensed animal and human vaccines, including 8 of the 14 routinely given to young children in the U.S. today. His work is credited by scientists for virtually wiping out many of the dreaded and deadly childhood diseases that remained common just 40 years ago. His MMR vaccine protects children against three different diseases - measles, mumps and rubella. Ironically, his death came less than one month after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that rubella had been eliminated as a health threat in the U.S.

Much of modern preventive medicine is based on his work, and his contributions have helped extend human life expectancy and improve the economies of many countries.

"One can say without hyperbole that Maurice changed the world with his extraordinary contributions in so many disciplines: virology, epidemiology, immunology, cancer research and vaccinology," said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, a friend and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Hilleman never won a Nobel Prize, which is reserved for basic research and not practical application. But throughout his lifetime, Dr. Hilleman was acknowledged by the scientific community for his live-saving work. He received a special lifetime achievement award from the World Health Organization, the Lasker Medical Research Award and the Prince Mahidol Award from the King of Thailand for the advancement of public health. In 1988, Dr. Hilleman received the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest honor from President Ronald Reagan. Last month, the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, with The Merck Company Foundation, announced the creation of The Maurice R. Hilleman Chair in Vaccinology.

In April 2000, we at Americans for Medical Progress were pleased to present Dr. Hilleman with an Albert B. Sabin Hero of Science Award.

The tributes to Dr. Hilleman are just beginning to be published. Here are a few links that detail his remarkable career: