Abstract
Alexandre Yersin
1
died in Nha Trang, Vietnam on 1 March 1943. He is buried on a hillside at Suoi Dau, 25 kilometres inland from what used to be the fishing village of Nha Trang at the place where he introduced the cultivation of the rubber tree to Vietnam. His tomb is a national shrine. The cemetery is entered through an archway with the path leading to a marble slab with his name, years and a headstone with an inscription in Vietnamese and French (Figure 1). By the side of the grave is a Buddhist shrine dedicated to his memory (Figure 2). A translation of the French inscription reads:
Alexandre John Emile YERSIN Born on 22 September 1863 at Lavaux in Switzerland Restored to French nationality in 1889 Died at Nha Trang on 1 March 1943 Officer of the Legion of Honour Grand Cross of the Dragon of Annam Member of the Academy of Sciences, of the Academy of Medicine, of the Academy of Colonial Sciences, of the Society of Pathology ‘exotique’ [tropical medicine etc] of the Society of Colonial Medicine, of the Society of Astronomy of France Discovered the diphtheria toxin in 1888 Made the first reconnaissance of the Plateau of Langbian in 1893 on which has been founded the ‘climatic town’ of Dalat Discovered the microbe of human plague in 1894 and prepared antiplague serum Founded the Pasteur Institute of Nha Trang in 1895 Introduced to Vietnam the rubber tree in 1897 and the tree for quinine in 1917 BENEFACTOR AND HUMANIST Venerated by the Vietnamese people
Headstone of the grave of Alexandre Yersin at Suoi Dau, near Nha Trang. Photograph by D Hawgood, 2007
Buddhist shrine by the tombstone. Photograph by D Hawgood, 2007