One of the founders of immunology, Almroth Wright was born in the village of Middleton Tyas, in Yorkshire, England. His mother, Ebba Almroth, was the daughter of a Swedish chemistry professor, and his father was an Irish Presbyterian minister. Wright grew up at his father's clerical posts in Dresden, Germany; Boulogne, France; and Belfast, Ireland. He was educated chiefly by his parents and tutors. He entered Trinity College, Dublin, in 1878, earning his bachelors of arts in modern literature in 1882 and his bachelors of medicine in 1883. He then studied at the universities of Leipzig, Marburg, and Strasbourg. From 1889 to 1891, Wright taught physiology at Sydney University in Australia, then returned to England.

In 1892, Wright received an appointment as professor of pathology at the Army Medical School in Netley, Hampshire, a position he held for ten years. At Netley, Wright conducted original research in blood coagulation and bacteriology. In 1896, he developed...