Selman Waksman was born in the Ukraine in 1888. In 1911 he emigrated to the United States, where he specialized in soil microbiology and, in 1918, received his PhD at the University of Berkeley.

In 1932, Waksman was asked by the American National Association Against Tuberculosis to study the destruction of the tubercle bacillus in the soil. Waksman, suspecting certain active bacteria and fungi, systematically and painstakingly, examined some thousands micro-organism, until he was able to isolate and purify streptomicyn in 1940.

This substance proved potent in destroying strains of bacteria resistant to sulfur or penicillin. For his discovery, Selman Waksman was awarded the 1952 Nobel prize in physiology and medicine.”

Selman Waksman, whose achievements saved countless lives, died in 1973.