Sir Frank MacFarlane Burnet (born September 3, 1899 in Traralgon, Victoria; died August 31, 1985) was an Australian biologist.
His Father was the manager of a branch of the Colonial Bank. Macfarlane Burnet was educated at Victorian State Schools and Geelong College, before attending the University of Melbourne. He graduated with a bachelor of medicine and a bachelor of surgery in 1922, and as a Doctor of Medicine in 1923. From 1923 to 1924 he was resident pathologist at the Melbourne hospital, and was conducting research into the agglutinin reactions in typhoid fever. In 1926 Macfarlane Burnet was awarded the Beit memorial fellowship from the Lister Institute in London, and in 1932 he worked at the National Institute for Medical Research, London. Otherwise, his work was conducted at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, of which he was made assistant director in 1934 and Director in 1944.
Macfarlane Burnet's studies were principally directed in the areas of virology in his early career and immunity in his later career. The first 10 years of his research career being devoted to the study of bacteriophages, on the subject of which he wrote 32 papers between 1924 and 1937.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1960, along with Peter Brian Medawar, for the discovery of acquired immunological tolerance. He was awarded Australian of the Year at this time as well.
His studies in virology and poliomyelitis led to his recognition as one of Australia's greatest scientists. In 1944 he became director of The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne. his wife died in 1973 and he married Hazel Jenkins. He died on the 31st August 1985.
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