Measles was once a common childhood ailment, claiming millions of lives globally each year. Samuel Katz, one of the primary developers of the attenuated measles vaccine that helped to slash that death toll, died at his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on October 31 at age 95.
Katz was born in New Hampshire on May 29, 1927. According to an obituary from Duke University, he completed a year at Dartmouth College before enlisting in the United States Navy in 1945. Since World War II was nearing its end, he was sent to work in a San Diego hospital. His interest in medicine was piqued, and when he returned to Dartmouth, he completed his undergraduate degree and then a two-year preclinical program in 1950. He attended medical school at Harvard University, graduating in 1952. Katz then stayed in Boston, doing training and fellowships at hospitals around the city.
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