Herbert Edward Kaufman (September 28, 1931) is an American ophthalmologist who discovered idoxuridine, the first clinically useful antiviral agent; co-developed with William Bourne the clinical specular microscope to view the live corneal endothelium, co-developed timolol with Thomas Zimmerman, a new class of medications to treat glaucoma; corneal storage media for eye banks; natamycin, the first commercially available medication to treat fungal infections of the eye; co-developed with Tony Gasset the use of bandage contact lenses; and was involved in the first laser vision photorefractive keratectomy of the eye with Marguarite McDonald. Scientific career He began his Princeton University education at age 16, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Chemistry. This was followed by medical school at Harvard University. Kaufman Graduated in 1956 Magna Cum Laude and Alpha Omega Alpha. He received the New England Pathology Society Award for developing a new type of calcium stain for histological tissue preparation. He performed his Medical Internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, and following that, he worked at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a clinical associate for 2 years. While at the NIH much of his research concentrated on the parasite toxoplasma. He was the first to grow toxoplasma in culture. His studies showed that slow growing isolates of toxoplasma were more resistant to treatment and if fast growing toxoplasma isolates were slowed by reducing the temperature, they also became more resistant to treatment with pyrimethamine. Toward the end of his work at the NIH, Kaufman was asked to be the first Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, Florida. Since he had not yet begun his Ophthalmology residency, the University of Florida Medical School kept the position open until he completed his three year residency at The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary of Harvard Medical School, under the training of Claus Dohlman. During his residency, he continued research in toxoplasmosis. He was assisted at this time and throughout his career by a chemical engineer, Emily Varnell. Kaufman became interested in finding a treatment for viral infections. Although there were vaccines to prevent some viruses, there was not a treatment for active viral infections. Kaufman believed that a medication could be found that would interfere with intracellular multiplication of a Herpes virus. During his residency, he pioneered the medical use of 5-iododeoxyuridine (IDU) the first medication to ever