Australia 2002 Medical Science Legends
- Issue Date: 23 January 2002
- Designed by: Symone Lambert
- Printed by: SNP Ausprint
- Print Process: Lithography
- Stamp Size: 37.5 mm x 26 mm
Description
Past recipients of the Australian Legends Award have included Sir Donald Bradman, Australian Olympians, Arthur Boyd, the last Anzacs, and Slim Dusty. In 2002 Australia Post added less obvious names from an often unrecognised field of endeavour – medical research – to the list. Although these five Australian’s names may not be familiar, the results of their work directly and indirectly contribute to human well-being in Australia and around the world.
Australia’s scientific communities are recognised internationally for their research. This is especially true of our medical scientists. The foundation for their success was set in the first half of the twentieth century with the ground breaking discoveries made by Howard Florey and Frank Macfarlane Burnet.
Stamps
Sheet Stamps
- Perforations: 14 x 14¾
- Format: sheetlets of 10
Single Stamps
45c Sir Gustav Nossal Stamp
Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE has increased our understanding of the immune system by demonstrating that a single lymphocyte makes only a single type of antibody. His classic work confirming Burnet’s theory of antibody formation was a watershed in understanding the immune system.
45c Nancy Millis Stamp
Nancy Millis AC MBE has enjoyed an illustrious public career in science and education. She is a pioneer of biotechnology in Australia and a key figure in industrial microbiology and fermentation technology. She has long been involved with the ethical and safety issues concerning [[wikipedia:Genetic engineering|genetic manipulation of living organisms.
45c Peter Doherty Stamp
Peter Doherty AC was co-recipient (with Rolf Zinkernagel) of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996. Doherty showed how the immune system recognises [[wikipedia: Viral disease|virus-infected]] cells and targets them for destruction. This scientific breakthrough is one of the most profound immunological discoveries of the last 50 years. His discovery is fundamental to understanding [[wikipedia: Transplant rejection|organ rejection after transplants]], genetic susceptibility to disease, and new approaches for vaccines.
45c Fiona Stanley Stamp
Fiona Stanley AC is a perinatal and paediatric epidemiologist, a public health researcher, and founding director of the [[wikipedia: Telethon Kids Institute|Telethon Institute for Child Health Research]] in Western Australia. The institute conducts multidisciplinary research which aims to improve the health of families and children. The institute also has a major commitment to Indigenous maternal and child health. Stanley and her colleagues have shown that maternal diets rich in folic acid can prevent spina bifida in babies. She has also studied developmental disorders in children such as the cerebral palsies.
45c Donald Metcalf Stamp
Donald Metcalf AC has been hailed as the founder of modern haematology and is one of Australia’s most influential scientists. Clinical application of his work isolating natural colony stimulating factors or CSFs – natural hormones that increase resistance to infections and aid recovery from cancer treatment by stimulating the body to produce white blood cells – has been used in the treatment of more than three million people worldwide.
Se-tenant Strip
Sheetlet
Self-adhesive Stamps
- Perforation: 11 x 11½, serpentine die cut
- Format: booklets of 10
Single Stamps
Booklet
First Day Cover
The first day of issue postmark was Melbourne University VIC 3052. An official first day cover for the self-adhesive varieties was not produced.