Editing Macfarlane Burnet (section)

{{short description|Australian virologist (1899–1985)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox scientist
|name              = Sir Macfarlane Burnet
|honorific_suffix  = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|OM|AK|KBE|FRS|FAA|FRSNZ}}
|image             = Frank Macfarlane Burnet.jpg
|birth_name        = Frank Macfarlane Burnet
|birth_date        = {{Birth date|1899|9|3|df=y}}
|birth_place       = [[Traralgon]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia
|death_date        = {{Death date and age|1985|8|31|1899|9|3|df=y}}
|death_place       = [[Port Fairy]], Victoria, Australia
| father = Frank Burnet  | mother = Hadassah Burnet (née Mackay)
|field             = [[Virology]]
|education         = [[University of Melbourne]]<br />[[University of London]]
|doctoral_advisor  = [[John Charles Grant Ledingham]]
|known_for         = Acquired [[immune tolerance]]
|prizes            = {{no wrap|[[Royal Medal]] {{small|(1947)}}<br />[[Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research|Albert Lasker Award]] {{small|(1952)}}<br />[[James Cook Medal]] {{small|(1954)}}<br />[[Copley Medal]] {{small|(1959)}}<br /> [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] {{small|(1960)}}<br />[[Mueller Medal]] {{small|(1962)}}}}
}}
'''Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet''' {{small|{{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|OM|AK|KBE|FRS|FAA|FRSNZ}}}}<ref name="frs">{{Cite journal | last1 = Fenner | first1 = F. J. | author-link = Frank Fenner| doi = 10.1098/rsbm.1987.0005 | title = Frank Macfarlane Burnet. 3 September 1899-31 August 1985 | journal = [[Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society]] | volume = 33 | pages = 100–126 | year = 1987 | jstor = 769948| pmid =  11621432| doi-access = free }}</ref> (3 September 1899 – 31 August 1985<ref>{{cite AuDB |first=G. J. V. |last=Nossal  |author-link=Gustav Nossal |title=Burnet, Sir Frank Macfarlane (Mac) (1899–1985) |volume=17 |edition= |year=2007 |id2=burnet-sir-frank-macfarlane-mac-12267 |access-date=1 September 2018}}</ref>), usually known as '''Macfarlane''' or '''Mac Burnet''', was an Australian [[virology|virologist]] known for his contributions to [[immunology]]. He won a [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine|Nobel Prize]] in 1960 for predicting [[Immune tolerance#Allograft tolerance|acquired immune tolerance]]. He also developed the theory of [[clonal selection]].

Burnet received his [[Doctor of Medicine]] degree from the [[University of Melbourne]] in 1924, and his PhD from the [[University of London]] in 1928. He went on to conduct pioneering research in [[microbiology]] and immunology at the [[Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research]], Melbourne, and served as director of the Institute from 1944 to 1965. From 1965 until his retirement in 1978, Burnet worked at the University of Melbourne. Throughout his career he played an active role in the development of public policy for the medical sciences in Australia and was a founding member of the [[Australian Academy of Science]] (AAS), and served as its president from 1965 to 1969.

Burnet's major achievements in microbiology included discovering the causative agents of [[Q-fever]] and [[psittacosis]]; developing [[assay]]s for the isolation, culture and detection of [[influenza virus]]; describing the recombination of influenza [[viral strain|strains]]; demonstrating that the [[myxomatosis]] virus does not cause disease in humans. Modern methods for producing [[influenza vaccine]]s are still based on Burnet's work improving virus growing processes in [[hen's eggs]].

For his contributions to Australian science, Burnet was made the first [[Australian of the Year]] in 1960,<ref>{{cite book | author= Lewis, Wendy | title=Australians of the Year | publisher=Pier 9 Press | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-74196-809-5 | author-link=Wendy Lewis  }}</ref> and in 1978 a Knight of the [[Order of Australia]]. He was recognised internationally for his achievements: in addition to the Nobel, he received the [[Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research|Lasker Award]] and the [[Royal Medal|Royal]] and [[Copley Medal]] from the [[Royal Society]], honorary doctorates, and distinguished service honours from the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] and Japan.