A ceremony to mark the 150th birthday and the 70th death anniversary of Alexandrre Yersin, the world’s well-known physician and bacteriologist, was held on March 1 in central Khanh Hoa province, where the doctor lived and worked from 1891 until his death.

Prominent guests at the event included Andrey Motyl, the Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam and Fabrice Mauriès, the French Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City .

Addressing at the ceremony, Le Xuan Than, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, highlighted Yersin’s life, career and his invaluable scientific contributions to human being as a whole and to Vietnamese people as well.

Born in 1863 in Switzerland and studied medicine in France, Alexandrre Yersin is remembered as the co-discoverer of the bacillus responsible for the bubonic plague and the creator of a vaccine for the prevention and treatment of this disease.

He came to Vietnam in 1891 and chose Nha Trang city for living and working until he passed away on March 1, 1943 .

Yersin was the founder and the first dean of Dong Duong pharmacy school, the predecessor of the present Hanoi Medical University and the Hanoi University of Pharmacy. He was also the founder and head of the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang.-VNA