Maurice Hilleman, Biography Of A Man Who Continues To Save Lives

Most of us are alive because of Maurice Hilleman, even though we may not have realized it. No other scientist has contributed to increasing human life expectancy as much as this microbiologist, who came from a humble family.

Hilleman developed the vaccines against mumps, measles, pneumonia, chicken pox, hepatitis B and a total of 40 diseases. There is no other researcher with such a record. However, his name is not very well known, not even in the information age.

The inhabitants of the world who have access to medical service must apply a series of vaccines from birth. A large part of them were developed by Maurice Hilleman. Those who knew him defined him as a ‘grumpy old man’, but also lively and funny. Although, above all, he was an incredibly committed and dedicated man.

The early years of Maurice Hilleman

Maurice Hilleman was born in Montana on August 30, 1919. His mother and twin sister died in childbirth . He ended up being the youngest of eight siblings in a family of humble farmers, who worked on their property to survive.

Maurice, like his brothers , carried out farm trades and, in particular, was dedicated to chickens. Years later, I would say that this work served him enormously in his future research, since many of the vaccines include the egg or some of its components as a base.

His family was Lutheran and, therefore, a great scandal was produced when he was caught reading Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. This was a banned work, suitable only for atheists. However, his older brother did not interpret this episode as something negative, but as a hopeful light. For this reason, he encouraged and helped Maurice Hilleman to go to college.

A genius in training

Maurice Hilleman was a fabulous student, always getting excellent grades, and as a result he was awarded a scholarship to pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. There he graduated in microbiology  in 1941.

He began to stand out when he developed a vaccine against Japanese encephalitis. During World War II, the disease afflicted American soldiers in the Pacific. Later, he went to work in an army research center and there he generated a new milestone.

Together with one of his colleagues, he was able to detect a flu outbreak in Hong Kong. Thanks to one of his discoveries, ‘genetic drift’, he managed to design a vaccine to conjure up the virus. This could have become a pandemic, but thanks to Maurice Hilleman it was controlled. Still, more than 69,000 Americans died from this cause.

Merck and consecration

In 1957, Maurice Hilleman began working with the pharmaceutical company Merck. Many believe that the low visibility he has achieved is due precisely to his connection with that company, rather than academic life. Be that as it may, in that industry, Hilleman developed most of its vaccines.

One of the most important, mumps, has a very particular history. Hilleman married a nurse and had two daughters. The oldest, Jeryl Lynn, became ill with mumps at age 5. His father took a sample for culture and, thanks to it, developed this famous vaccine, which surely we all carry with us.

Maurice Hilleman was very scrupulous about his work. He personally supervised and controlled each stage in the development of a new vaccine. Perhaps that was why he had a reputation for being demanding, curmudgeonly, and narcissistic.

A massive recognition that never came

They say that Maurice Hilleman was especially proud of the Hepatitis B vaccine. It is estimated that it reduced mortality from the disease by 95%, at least in the United States, although it is used in 150 countries. This filled the great investigator with satisfaction.

This vaccine was also the first that made it possible to prevent cancer in humans; particularly liver cancer. Maurice Hilleman’s great dream was to develop a vaccine against any type of viral cancer. Experts say he succeeded, in part, when he made the Merke Disease vaccine.

His prestige in the world of science was undeniable. That is why he held various positions and was even an advisor to the World Health Organization. However, massive fame never came for him, despite his impressive contributions.

He retired from Merck due to forced retirement. Although he continued to work on his vaccines until he died, in 1985, at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife, two daughters and five grandchildren.