Alphonse Laveran

French physician who discovered the malaria parasite, revolutionizing tropical medicine.

Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran (1845–1922) made a groundbreaking discovery in 1880 while stationed in Algeria: he identified Plasmodium, the parasite causing malaria. This overturned the prevailing miasma theory and paved the way for modern parasitology.

Using a rudimentary microscope, Laveran observed the parasite's movement in a soldier's blood—a eureka moment he later called "the most intense emotion of my career." Despite skepticism from peers, his work led to targeted treatments like quinine. He won the 1907 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Laveran co-founded the Société de Pathologie Exotique to study neglected tropical diseases. His meticulous field research in colonies like Senegal provided critical data on disease vectors. Today, the Institut Pasteur's Laveran Museum preserves his legacy.