Peter Medawar
English-brazilian biologist (1915-1987) · United Kingdom · On the map · Doctors · Died at 72
Sir Peter Brian Medawar was a Brazilian-born biologist and writer of Lebanese-British descent who, from a succession of research and teaching posts, and senior U.K. biomedical leadership positions, contributed seminal discoveries in immunology, including one honoured by a Nobel Prize to him and Australian Mac Burnet in 1960.
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Medawar's works on the discovery of acquired immune tolerance, and on graft rejection, have been fundamental to the medical practice of tissue and organ transplants. For his scientific work, he has been termed the "father of transplantation". He is remembered, as well, for his wit, both in person and in his popular writings. Richard Dawkins referred to him as "the wittiest of all scientific writers"; Stephen Jay Gould as "the cleverest man I have ever known".
