An Unknown Hero...!

Not many of us can name the man that was responsible for creating the vaccine for the mumps, plus many more.

His name was Maurice Hilleman, and he did discover and create the vaccines for a whole slew of diseases.You would think we would at the very least know his name, right? Not so, I'm afraid...

Maurice Hilleman

Photo credit: Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp

Not all achievements require bravery and self-sacrifice. Take Maurice Hilleman, for example. Maurice found other ways to change the world; he created a number of vaccines.

He developed the mumps vaccine after his daughter contracted the illness in 1963. He took a swab of the back of her throat, drove to his laboratory in the middle of the night, and figured out a way to turn that into the vaccine that we use today. And he didn’t stop there.

In total, Maurice Hilleman has single-handedly developed more than 40 different vaccines, including eight commonly given to children in order to prevent measles, mumps, hepatitis A and B, chickenpox, meningitis, pneumonia, and Haemophilus influenzae. His work has probably saved millions of lives and prevented serious complications as a result of the diseases. The MMR vaccine alone has been given to over a billion children around the world.

And all because his daughter got the mumps.

Sounds like a man with a passion for helping others, doesn't it?

Coffee out on the patio this morning. The rain is gone, so it's hot.