On Rudolf Weigl's birth anniversary, Google honours Polish biologist with unique doodle

On the occasion of Rudolf Weigl's 138th birth anniversary, on September 2, Google has honored the Polish inventor, doctor, and immunologist with a unique doodle portraying him holding a test tube in his gloved hands. The doodle illustrator has spelled out Google with all that is used in a lab for testing purposes.

Polish biologist Rudolf Stefan Jan Weigl was born on September 2, 1883, in the Austro-Hungarian town of Przerów. He studied biological sciences at Poland’s Lwów University and was appointed as a parasitologist in the Polish Army in 1914. When Eastern Europe witnessed the Typhus plague, Weigl contributed immensely towards the development of the typhus vaccine.

Rudolf Weigl's achievement 

The typhus-infecting bacteria, Rickettsia prowazekii, are usually carried by body lice and so this insect was adapted into a laboratory specimen by Weigl. He studied this specimen for years and his research revealed how to use lice to propagate the deadly bacteria with the hope of developing a vaccine. In 1936, Weigl’s vaccine successfully inoculated its first beneficiary.

During the Second World War when Germany occupied Poland, Weigl was forced to open a vaccine production plant. He used the facility to hire friends and colleagues at risk of persecution under the new regime. Due to Weigl’s work during the war period, over 5,000 people were saved. He helped people both directly and indirectly. His efforts protected his neighbors and thousands of vaccine doses were distributed nationwide.

Today, Rudolf Weigl is widely known as a remarkable scientist and hero. His work has been honored by two Nobel Prize nominations. 

Typhus infection

Louse-borne Typhus Fever is one of the oldest pestilential diseases of humankind. It was first recognized in the late fifteenth century with certainty as causing devastating epidemics. Some of the symptoms of the disease include chills, fever, and severe headaches. The duration of the fever is from 10 to 21 days. But, in severe cases, this develops into stupor and coma, accompanied by secondary infections and renal failure. And today, with the help of antibiotics including tetracyclines, quinolones, chloramphenicol, and para-aminobenzoic acid, the risk of a fatal issue is greatly reduced. 

Image: GOOGLE.COM