Francis, Thomas, 1900-

Thomas Francis, Jr., 1900-1969, professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan, 1941-1969, was best known for his work in the development of the influenza and poliomyelitis vaccinations. Educated at Allegheny College and Yale Medical School, Francis' work centered around the study of the causes of infectious disease, especially pneumonia, influenza, and poliomyelitis, and the development of serum treatments for these diseases.

The Twentieth Century witnessed a revolution in the manner in which scientific research was accomplished. The solitary figure in an underequipped laboratory gradually gave way to the research team comprised of specialists, established to solve some particular scientific problem, and funded with grants from foundations or agencies of the government. By mid-century, individual discoveries were still being made, but more common was cooperative research, where scientists freely exchanged information and built upon the work of their peers. During the period of Thomas Francis, Jr.'s greatest work, there was now a sense that common life-threatening problems required an all-out team effort and that claims for the discovery were less important than the fact that discovery was made. Leading the way in changing the way epidemilogical research was performed was Thomas Francis, Jr.

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