Carlos Juan Finlay was a Cuban epidemiologist, born in Puerto Principe to a Scottish father and a French mother, who trained at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and practiced ophthalmology in Havana. In 1881 he proposed that yellow fever was transmitted not by direct contact but by the mosquito Aedes aegypti acting as a disease vector, an idea that was met with ridicule when he presented it that year but was confirmed nearly two decades later by the United States Army's Walter Reed Commission in 1900. He went on to serve as Cuba's chief health officer from 1902 to 1909, was nominated seven times for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine without winning it, and received France's Legion of Honour in 1908.
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Finlay first proposed in 1881 that yellow fever spreads by mosquito bite, a theory not widely accepted until confirmed two decades later.
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Carlos Finlay proposed mosquito transmission of yellow fever.
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- Also in Geography Atlas: Cuba, nationality there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Carlos Finlay
Lead sentence (birth year)
Carlos Juan Finlay (December 3, 1833-August 20, 1915) was a Cuban epidemiologist recognized as a pioneer in the research of yellow fever, determining that it was transmitted through mosquitoes Aedes aegypti.
Lead sentence (death year)
Carlos Juan Finlay (December 3, 1833-August 20, 1915) was a Cuban epidemiologist recognized as a pioneer in the research of yellow fever, determining that it was transmitted through mosquitoes Aedes aegypti.
Lead sentence (birth date)
Carlos Juan Finlay (December 3, 1833-August 20, 1915) was a Cuban epidemiologist recognized as a pioneer in the research of yellow fever, determining that it was transmitted through mosquitoes Aedes aegypti.
Lead sentence (death date)
Carlos Juan Finlay (December 3, 1833-August 20, 1915) was a Cuban epidemiologist recognized as a pioneer in the research of yellow fever, determining that it was transmitted through mosquitoes Aedes aegypti.
View the SourceWikidata: Carlos Finlay
Wikidata Q21155777, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
Was Carlos Finlay right that mosquitoes spread yellow fever?
Yes, though his idea was ridiculed at first. In 1881 Finlay proposed that yellow fever was transmitted not by direct contact but by the mosquito Aedes aegypti acting as a disease vector, and it was met with ridicule when he presented it that year. It was confirmed nearly two decades later by the United States Army's Walter Reed Commission in 1900. He went on to serve as Cuba's chief health officer from 1902 to 1909 and was nominated seven times for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine without winning it.
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