Frank Macfarlane Burnet biography
Date of birth : 1899-09-03
Date of death : 1985-08-31
Birthplace : Traralgon, Australia
Nationality : Australian
Category : Science and Technology
Last modified : 2011-08-17
Credited as : Virologist, immunology,
0 votes so far
Frank Macfarlane Burnet -- friends called him 'Mac' -- started collecting beetles when he was a boy. From endless days spent reading and re-reading an encyclopedia, he developed an early admiration for Charles Darwin, and his views about science and society were largely influenced by reading H. G. Wells. In his long career, Burnet developed two concepts that have proven very influential in immunology: First, acquired immunological tolerance, which was the cornerstone upon which organ transplantation has become almost routine, and second, the clonal selection theory of antibody production, which showed how antigens are targeted for destruction by lymphocytes. Burnet won the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology in 1960, shared with Peter Medawar.
Author of books:
The Use of the Developing Egg in Virus Research (1936)
Biological Aspects of Infectious Disease (1940)
Virus as Organism: Evolutionary and Ecological Aspects of Some Human Virus Diseases (1945)
The Background of Infectious Diseases in Man (1946)
Viruses and Man (1953)
Principles of Animal Virology (1955)
Enzyme, Antigen and Virus: A Study of Macromolecular Pattern in Action (1956)
Clonal Selection Theory of Acquired Immunity (1958)
The Viruses: Biochemical, Biological and Biophysical Properties (1959, co-author Wendell M. Stanley)
The Integrity of the Body: A Discussion of Modern Immunological Ideas (1962)
Autoimmune Diseases: Pathogenesis, Chemistry and Therapy (1963, co-author Ian MacKay)
Biology and the Appreciation of Life (1968)
Changing Patterns: An Atypical Autobiography (1968, autobiography)
Self and Not-Self (1969)
Cellular Immunology (1969)
Dominant Mammal: The Biology of Human Destiny (1970)
Immunological Surveillance (1970)
Genes, Dreams and Realities (1971)
Autoimmunity and Autoimmune Disease: A Survey for Physician or Biologist (1972)
Intrinsic Mutagenesis: A Genetic Approach to Aging (1974)
The Biology of Aging (1974)
Endurance of Life: The Implications of Genetics for Human Life (1974)
Immunology, Ageing and Cancer: Medical Aspects of Mutation and Selection (1978)
Credo and Comment: A Scientist Reflects (1979, memoir)
