Stokes, Adrian (1887-1927)

Swiss-born British bacteriologist. He was a member of the Rockefeller Commission on Yellow Fever in West Africa from 1920 until his death. In 1927 Stokes succeeded for the first time in the experimental infection of a monkey with yellow fever virus. He also showed that an epidemic of jaundice was caused by a spirochaete carried by rats, and also studied tetanus and typhoid.

Stokes was born in Lausanne, Switzerland. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. In 1919 he became professor of bacteriology and preventive medicine at Dublin University. He moved to London University in 1922 to become the Sir William Dunn professor of pathology. He died of yellow fever while studying the disease in Lagos, Nigeria.