Contents
Hideyo Noguchi
Identifying the syphilis bacterium in brain tissue affected by general paralysis.
Neurosyphilis · Laboratory studies
- Born
- 9 November 1876
- Birthplace
- Inawashiro, Japan
- Died
- 21 May 1928
More people
Hideyo Noguchi
Hideyo Noguchi was a Japanese bacteriologist who built an international research career at New York’s Rockefeller Institute.
Early life
Fukushima
Grew up in a farming family and suffered a serious hand burn as a child.
Medicine
Trained through apprenticeships and examinations rather than a conventional university degree.
Career
- 1900
United States
Moved to America and worked in medical research.
- 1904
Rockefeller Institute
Joined the New York institute’s bacteriology research.
- 1927–1928
West Africa
Investigated yellow fever and died after contracting the disease.
Contributions
Neurosyphilis
Found the syphilis organism in brain tissue from patients with general paralysis.
Laboratory studies
Published research on spirochaetes and infectious diseases.
Yellow-fever research
Pursued a bacterial explanation later disproved when the disease’s viral cause was established.
Beyond the lab
Marriage
Married Mary Dardis in 1911.
Public memory
His portrait featured on Japan’s 1,000-yen banknote from 2004.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Institutional biography and research ↗Photo: Unknown author Unknown author. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
