Venezuelan doctor, researcher, and scientist Jacinto Convit has died at the age of 100 on Monday, leaving behind a legacy of accomplishments in the world of science and healthcare. Convit, who was born to a Spanish immigrant family in 1913, devoted his life to science and is known around the world for developing the leprosy vaccine.
"Dr. Convit became a popular hero in Venezuela due to his dedication to the poor and to patients with feared conditions," said an announcement of his death on his website. "Throughout his career, he never charged his patients."
Reuters reports that the scientist was moved by the patients who suffered from leprosy and chose to work with them in the outskirts of Caracas, where he went to university, and remote parts of Venezuela. While he started his career and spent most of his lifetime devoted to the poor, Convit's most significant accomplishment came in 1987, when he combined the treatment for tuberculosis with a bacteria found in armadillos to concoct a vaccination against leprosy. For this contribution to society, Convit was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1988.
His achievements are not limited to the leprosy vaccination, as he also uncovered a vaccination for leishmaniasis -- a tropical skin disease transmitted by sand flies that affects millions according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Up until recently, Convit was working on a cure for cancer and published his last study last year. "I don't lose sleep over not winning the Nobel Prize, but I do over finding the cure for cancer," said Convit famously.
Convit is survived by his family and the lives he saved courtesy of his contributions to society.
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