Selman Waksman

Selman Abraham Waksman (July 22, 1888 – August 16, 1973) was a Ukrainian-born American biochemist and microbiologist best known for his pioneering work in soil microbiology and the discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis. Born in Priluka, near Kiev in the Russian Empire (now Nova Pryluka, Ukraine), Waksman immigrated to the United States in 1910 and became a naturalized citizen in 1916. He earned a B.S. in agriculture from Rutgers University in 1915, an M.S. from Rutgers in 1916, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1918.

Waksman's career focused on the role of microorganisms in soil decomposition and nutrient cycling, leading him to join the faculty at Rutgers University in 1918 as a microbiologist and lecturer. He advanced to professor and head of the Department of Microbiology in 1940 and later directed the Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers from 1949 until his retirement in 1958. In 1942, Waksman coined the term "antibiotic" to describe chemical substances produced by microorganisms that inhibit the growth of other microbes, distinguishing them from synthetic antimicrobial agents. His systematic screening of soil actinomycetes resulted in the isolation of over 20 antibiotics, including streptomycin in 1943—produced by the bacterium Streptomyces griseus—and neomycin in 1948.

Selman Abraham Waksman was born on July 22, 1888, in the small village of Novaya Priluka (now part of Pryluky, Ukraine), then within the Russian Empire, to a Jewish family. His parents, Jacob Waksman and Fradia London, operated modest businesses—his father rented out small houses, while his mother managed a dry goods store—providing a stable but economically constrained environment in a rural area known for its fertile black soil. As the youngest child in a family influenced by his mother's matriarchal lineage, Waksman grew up amid the challenges of Jewish life in the Pale of Settlement, including his father's absence during military service, which further strained household resources.

Waksman's early years were marked by significant personal and societal hardships that shaped his worldview. The family endured economic difficulties typical of Jewish communities in the region, compounded by the tragic death of his sister Miriam from diphtheria, an event that ignited his early curiosity about disease-causing agents and potential cures. Anti-Semitic pogroms, which intensified after the 1905 Russian Revolution, created an atmosphere of pervasive fear and instability, limiting social and professional prospects for Jews. Despite these adversities, his mother's strong emphasis on education—rooted in her own learning and determination—fostered a nurturing environment that encouraged intellectual pursuits, even as the family navigated poverty and prejudice.

From a young age, Waksman received his primary education through private tutors, beginning with religious studies in a local cheder at age five and expanding to subjects like Hebrew, Russian, literature, history, arithmetic, and geography by age ten. The surrounding agricultural landscape of Ukraine sparked his fascination with soil and farming practices, while observations of natural processes deepened his interest in biology. By his late teens, he pursued secondary education as an extern at the Fifth Gymnasium in Odessa, completing his matriculation diploma in 1910 despite quotas restricting Jewish access to formal schooling. These experiences, combined with his mother's influence, motivated Waksman to seek advanced studies abroad, as opportunities in Russia remained severely limited for Jewish scholars amid ongoing political turmoil.