Joseph L. Melnick
Encyclopedia
Joseph Louis Melnick was an American epidemiologist
who performed breakthrough research on the spread of polio
, with The New York Times
calling him "a founder of modern virology
".
and moved with his family to New Haven, Connecticut
, when he was seven years old. He earned his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University
in 1936 and was awarded a Ph.D.
in physiological chemistry from Yale University
. He became a member of the Yale faculty under Dr. John R. Paul
, and was named a professor of epidemiology in 1954.
could survive for extended periods in sewage. Other viruses, such as hepatitis
, were also found in sewage, leading to improved purification standards. Higher levels of the polio virus were found in sewage during the summer, at the same time of year that the outbreaks of the disease were at their most severe, which John R. Paul observed "spoke loudly in favor of the idea that polio viruses circulate widely in the population and environment only during epidemic seasons". Together with Dr. Dorothy Horstmann, Melnick published the results of a study that showed that polio could be transmitted by flies, though they were not the primary vector for the disease. He was among the first to discover that the polio virus belonged to a larger class now known as the enterovirus
es — a form of virus that could enter the central nervous system
under certain conditions — and was among those who discovered that polio and other enteroviruses only rarely invade the central nervous system.
in 1957. He was hired by the Baylor College of Medicine
in 1958 as the first head of the school's department of virology and epidemiology. Research he published in 1960 showed that the form of the attenuated vaccine used in the oral polio vaccine developed by Dr. Albert Sabin
was less harmful to the nervous system than comparable vaccines. A study he performed found that polio vaccine could be stored for long periods by using magnesium chloride
as a preservative, eliminating the need for refrigeration. Melnick was named as dean of graduate sciences at Baylor in 1968, a position he held until 1991. Together with heart surgeon Michael E. DeBakey
, Melnick investigated the possible effects that cytomegalovirus
might have on coronary artery diseases.
Research performed by Melnick with a team at Baylor and published in the journal Science
in 1968 found evidence that implicated viruses, including herpes simplex virus
, as a cause of some forms of cervical cancer
.
A regimen for the treatment of a polio outbreak in the 1980s in the Gaza Strip
and West Bank
by a joint effort of Israeli and Palestinian health officials used a combination of live attenuated and inactivated forms of the polio vaccine as recommended by Melnick and Dr. Natan Goldblum, as those receiving as many as four doses of the oral polio vaccine alone were still susceptible to polio.
An editor of multiple scientific journals, Melnick wrote and edited the section on virology in a standard text on microbiology
. Melnick was recognized by the Sabin Vaccine Institute
in 1996 with its Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal
, recognizing his pioneering research in the study of polio and the more than 100 virologists he trained during his career.
Melnick died at age 86 on January 7, 2001, in Houston, as a result of complications of Alzheimer's disease
. He was survived by his wife, Dr. Matilda Benyesh-Melnick, as well as by a daughter and a granddaughter.
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
who performed breakthrough research on the spread of polio
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
, with The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
calling him "a founder of modern virology
Virology
Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy...
".
Early life and education
Melnick was born on October 9, 1914, in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and moved with his family to New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, when he was seven years old. He earned his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in 1936 and was awarded a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in physiological chemistry from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He became a member of the Yale faculty under Dr. John R. Paul
John R. Paul
John Rodman Paul was an American virologist whose research focused on the spread of polio and the development of treatments for the disease.-Life and achievements:Paul was born on April 18, 1893, in Philadelphia...
, and was named a professor of epidemiology in 1954.
Polio research
Research by Melnick found that the most common way that polio was spread was by fecal contamination, usually by soiled hands, and that the poliovirusPoliovirus
Poliovirus, the causative agent of poliomyelitis, is a human enterovirus and member of the family of Picornaviridae.Poliovirus is composed of an RNA genome and a protein capsid. The genome is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome that is about 7500 nucleotides long. The viral particle is...
could survive for extended periods in sewage. Other viruses, such as hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
, were also found in sewage, leading to improved purification standards. Higher levels of the polio virus were found in sewage during the summer, at the same time of year that the outbreaks of the disease were at their most severe, which John R. Paul observed "spoke loudly in favor of the idea that polio viruses circulate widely in the population and environment only during epidemic seasons". Together with Dr. Dorothy Horstmann, Melnick published the results of a study that showed that polio could be transmitted by flies, though they were not the primary vector for the disease. He was among the first to discover that the polio virus belonged to a larger class now known as the enterovirus
Enterovirus
Enteroviruses are a genus of ssRNA viruses associated with several human and mammalian diseases. Serologic studies have distinguished 66 human enterovirus serotypes on the basis of antibody neutralization tests. Additional antigenic variants have been defined within several of the serotypes on the...
es — a form of virus that could enter the central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
under certain conditions — and was among those who discovered that polio and other enteroviruses only rarely invade the central nervous system.
Chief virologist
Melnick was chosen as the chief virologist at the division of biological standards at the National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
in 1957. He was hired by the Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
in 1958 as the first head of the school's department of virology and epidemiology. Research he published in 1960 showed that the form of the attenuated vaccine used in the oral polio vaccine developed by Dr. Albert Sabin
Albert Sabin
Albert Bruce Sabin was an American medical researcher best known for having developed an oral polio vaccine.-Life:...
was less harmful to the nervous system than comparable vaccines. A study he performed found that polio vaccine could be stored for long periods by using magnesium chloride
Magnesium chloride
Magnesium chloride is the name for the chemical compounds with the formulas MgCl2 and its various hydrates MgCl2x. These salts are typical ionic halides, being highly soluble in water. The hydrated magnesium chloride can be extracted from brine or sea water...
as a preservative, eliminating the need for refrigeration. Melnick was named as dean of graduate sciences at Baylor in 1968, a position he held until 1991. Together with heart surgeon Michael E. DeBakey
Michael E. DeBakey
Michael Elias DeBakey was a world-renowned Lebanese-American cardiac surgeon, innovator, scientist, medical educator, and international medical statesman...
, Melnick investigated the possible effects that cytomegalovirus
Cytomegalovirus
Cytomegalovirus is a viral genus of the viral group known as Herpesviridae or herpesviruses. It is typically abbreviated as CMV: The species that infects humans is commonly known as human CMV or human herpesvirus-5 , and is the most studied of all cytomegaloviruses...
might have on coronary artery diseases.
Research performed by Melnick with a team at Baylor and published in the journal Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
in 1968 found evidence that implicated viruses, including herpes simplex virus
Herpes simplex virus
Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 , also known as Human herpes virus 1 and 2 , are two members of the herpes virus family, Herpesviridae, that infect humans. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 are ubiquitous and contagious...
, as a cause of some forms of cervical cancer
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
.
A regimen for the treatment of a polio outbreak in the 1980s in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
and West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
by a joint effort of Israeli and Palestinian health officials used a combination of live attenuated and inactivated forms of the polio vaccine as recommended by Melnick and Dr. Natan Goldblum, as those receiving as many as four doses of the oral polio vaccine alone were still susceptible to polio.
An editor of multiple scientific journals, Melnick wrote and edited the section on virology in a standard text on microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
. Melnick was recognized by the Sabin Vaccine Institute
Sabin Vaccine Institute
The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a non-profit, 501 organization dedicated to reducing needless humansuffering from vaccine preventable and neglected tropical diseases through prevention and treatment...
in 1996 with its Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal
Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal
The Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal is awarded annually by the Sabin Vaccine Institute in recognition of work in the field of vaccinology or a complementary field. It is in commemoration of the pioneering work of Albert B. Sabin.-List of previous recipients:...
, recognizing his pioneering research in the study of polio and the more than 100 virologists he trained during his career.
Melnick died at age 86 on January 7, 2001, in Houston, as a result of complications of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. He was survived by his wife, Dr. Matilda Benyesh-Melnick, as well as by a daughter and a granddaughter.
See also
History of poliomyelitisHistory of poliomyelitis
The history of poliomyelitis infections extends into prehistory. Although major polio epidemics were unknown before the 20th century, the disease has caused paralysis and death for much of human history...