1 Yellow Jack
T
he Nobel Prize in 1951 was awarded to Max Theiler for his discoveries concerning yellow fever and how to combat it. The story of the research into yellow fever is the Nobel Prize’s most deadly tale. It started more than half a century before the prize was awarded, and it is strewn with the illnesses and deaths of many researchers along the way. While it was not unusual for early infectious-disease researchers to fall victim to the illnesses they studied, yellow fever caused more sickness and death in investigators than any other disease. The yellow fever victim suddenly feels feverish and becomes agitated or irritable. They then get a headache that becomes piercing in intensity and is accompanied by extreme light sensitivity. Within hours, the victim’s temperature goes up to 103 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. At the same time, their pulse slows down, which prevents sweating, and as a result, the victim rapidly becomes dehydrated. The disease next attacks the internal organs, including the kidneys, intestines, liver, and brain. Liver failure causes a buildup of yellow bile, resulting in the skin turning the yellow color of saffroned rice and the whites of the eyes taking on a golden glow—the intense coloration yellow fever is named for. At this point, some patients may begin to slowly recover. The unlucky progress to vomiting black blood and may even bleed from every orifice. The most freakish aspect of yellow fever
