Johan Hultin
Encyclopedia
Johan Hultin is a retired pathologist known for discovering tissues containing traces of the 1918 influenza virus that killed millions worldwide, and for this he has been described as the "Indiana Jones of the scientific set."
in 1925, Hultin immigrated to the U.S. and earned his Master's degree at the University of Iowa
. During his time there, he researched and warned against bioterrorism. He worked at several hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area. During his spare time, he developed ways to improve automotive safety which led to recognition by the U.S. Department of Transportation. He is an avid hiker and is the oldest person to ski Mustagh Ata in China.
of a town called Brevig Mission
. During the pandemic, 72 of the town's 80 residents perished from the flu. In his search, he unearthed bodies but failed to find any live viruses.
Nearly 50 years later, in July 1997, Hultin read an article in the journal Science
written by virologist Jeffery Taubenberger
who was looking for samples of the 1918 flu. Hultin offered his services and returned to Brevig Mission. Again he received permission to dig for victims of the 1918 “Spanish flu”, and this time he unearthed the remains of an obese woman, roughly thirty years old, whom he christened "Lucy". The fat had protected her lungs from decay
, and he took both of them. It turned out that in Lucy's case there was enough material to sequence the complete 1918 virus many times over. This sample provided scientists a first-hand opportunity to study the virus, which was inactivated with guanidinium thiocyanate
before transport. This sample and others found in U.S. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
(AFIP) archives allowed researchers to completely analyze the critical gene
structures of the 1918 virus. Using the recovered traces, scientists revealed that the virus originated from birds and mutated to infect people.
Biography
Born in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1925, Hultin immigrated to the U.S. and earned his Master's degree at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. During his time there, he researched and warned against bioterrorism. He worked at several hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area. During his spare time, he developed ways to improve automotive safety which led to recognition by the U.S. Department of Transportation. He is an avid hiker and is the oldest person to ski Mustagh Ata in China.
1918 influenza discovery
In 1951 the pathologist tried to isolate the 1918 influenza virus from victims who had been buried in the Alaskan permafrostPermafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
of a town called Brevig Mission
Brevig Mission, Alaska
Brevig Mission is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska. The population was 276 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Brevig Mission is located at ....
. During the pandemic, 72 of the town's 80 residents perished from the flu. In his search, he unearthed bodies but failed to find any live viruses.
Nearly 50 years later, in July 1997, Hultin read an article in the journal Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
written by virologist Jeffery Taubenberger
Jeffery Taubenberger
Jeffery K. Taubenberger is a US-virologist. Together with Ann Reid he was the first to sequence the genome of the influenza virus, which caused the 1918 pandemic of “Spanish flu”.- Training :...
who was looking for samples of the 1918 flu. Hultin offered his services and returned to Brevig Mission. Again he received permission to dig for victims of the 1918 “Spanish flu”, and this time he unearthed the remains of an obese woman, roughly thirty years old, whom he christened "Lucy". The fat had protected her lungs from decay
Decomposition
Decomposition is the process by which organic material is broken down into simpler forms of matter. The process is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biome. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death...
, and he took both of them. It turned out that in Lucy's case there was enough material to sequence the complete 1918 virus many times over. This sample provided scientists a first-hand opportunity to study the virus, which was inactivated with guanidinium thiocyanate
Guanidinium thiocyanate
Guanidinium thiocyanate is a chemical compound used as a general protein denaturant, being a chaotropic agent, although it is most commonly used in the extraction of DNA and RNA.Note: this compound may also be recognized as guanidine thiocyanate...
before transport. This sample and others found in U.S. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology was a US government institution concerned with diagnostic consultation, education, and research in the medical specialty of pathology. It was founded in 1862 as the Army Medical Museum and was located in Washington, DC on the grounds of the Walter Reed Army...
(AFIP) archives allowed researchers to completely analyze the critical gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
structures of the 1918 virus. Using the recovered traces, scientists revealed that the virus originated from birds and mutated to infect people.