Thomas Peebles (1921-2010)

Dr. Peebles, who was known for discovering and culturing the measles virus and also shifting the tetanus booster schedule from annual injections to every ten years, died July 8th but he death was just announced in a NY Times obituary. In the non-ID world, he was known for his work on flouride vitamins for children.

There were several interesting things about him that I didn't know, but the most amazing was the fact that when he discovered how to grow the measles virus, no one in the lab believed him including John Enders. Dr. Enders even took him off of the measles project and Dr. Peebles had to complete the work on the side on his own time. When he finally was able to infect monkeys using the cultured virus, they knew he had done it. This discovery led directly to the development of the measles vaccine and numerous lives saved.

In 1967, when discussing the measles discovery, Dr Peebles wrote “I am sure, as is often the case in scientific endeavor, that much of the successful recognition and isolation of this virus lay in perseverance, newness to the field, and failure to be bound by preconceived ideas that caused others in the laboratory to miss this new effect."

There is much truth in his words. Successful scientists are often immune to the dogma that surrounds them. If only the scientific community could find better ways to identify and support such free thinking individuals.

NY Times Obit