1857-1932

British Physician, Parasitologist and Epidemiologist

Ronald Ross was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1902 for elucidating the role of the Anopheles mosquito in the transmission of malaria. By explaining the complex life history of the malarial parasite, he made it possible to understand aspects of the problems of malarial fevers that had confounded physicians and scientists for hundreds of years. Millions of people throughout the world suffered from malaria during Ross's time and many areas were virtually uninhabitable because of malarial fevers. Moreover, his work made it possible for scientists to discover the role of insect vectors in the transmission of many other diseases.

Ross, the son of a military officer, was born in Nepal. In 1865 he was sent to England to attend school. Although Ross was primarily interested in poetry, art, and music, his father insisted that he study medicine. In 1874 he was...