Jesse Lazear
Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland
Marker Inscription
Jesse Lazear, M.D., medical martyr: to find the cause of yellow fever he courageously exposed himself to virus-infected mosquitoes and died of the disease, thereby proving the route of transmission
Erected by Bolton Hill Historic District
The Story
Jesse Lazear was a young physician who joined the U.S. effort to understand yellow fever, a disease that had terrorized American cities for generations. To test the theory that mosquitoes carried the illness, he allowed himself to be bitten by infected insects—and died of the fever, confirming how it spread. His sacrifice helped make possible the mosquito-control campaigns that later saved countless lives.
Why it matters
Lazear's death was a turning point in tropical medicine, proving the insect route of yellow fever and reshaping public health across the Americas.
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