Ilya Mechnikov and His Studies on Comparative Inflammation

Mechnikov was born in Russia in 1845 and died in Paris in 1916. During his studies of embryogenesis and digestive function, he developed the concept of phagocytosis as a biologic phenomenon. He joined the Pasteur Institute in 1888 at Pasteur's invitation as Chef de Service there, studying inflammation and immunity in many species--both unicellular and high orders. In 1908, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology with Paul Ehrlich.