Walter Reed
1851–1902 · American · Gilded Age
Known for: Proved yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes, enabling the Panama Canal
Walter Reed proved that mosquitoes transmit yellow fever—a discovery that saved millions of lives and made the Panama Canal possible. His Yellow Fever Commission conducted dangerous experiments in Cuba where volunteers allowed themselves to be bitten by infected mosquitoes.
Some volunteers died. Reed oversaw these experiments with personal anguish but scientific determination.
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