Sir Ronald Ross

Born on 13 May 1857 in Almora, then in British India, Ronald Ross trained in medicine in London and joined the Indian Medical Service. During his years in India, he carried out the research that made him famous: in 1897 he identified the malaria parasite in mosquitoes, a breakthrough that helped show how the disease is transmitted and opened the way for modern mosquito-control campaigns.

That work brought him the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, making him the first British Nobel laureate in that field. He later held academic and research posts in Britain, including work connected with tropical medicine, and remained an influential voice in public health.

Ross was not only a scientist but also a literary man. He wrote poetry, novels, and memoirs, and his life shows an unusual mix of medical rigor and creative ambition. He died on 16 September 1932, but his name remains closely tied to one of the most important discoveries in the history of infectious disease.