Facets

1929

#2858

Die Sondierung des rechten Herzens.

The first cardiac catheterization on a living person. Forssmann catheterized his own heart. Historical note by N. Howard-Jones, Bull. Hist. Med.,1973, 47,524-6. English translation in Callahan, Keys & Key, Classics of…

1930

#1169

La diabetes pancreática de los perros hipofisoprivos.

Houssay’s depancreatized hypophysectomized dog. This work led to Houssay’s demonstration of the importance of the anterior pituitary in sugar metabolism. See also Endocrinology, 1931,15, 511-23. In 1947 Houssay shared…

1933

#1570.1

Über den Knall und die Theorie des Hörens.

In 1961 Békésy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discoveries of the physical mechanism of stimulation within the cochlea." English translation in Békésy, Experiments in hearing, 1960.

1933

#1535

Vitamin A in the retina.

Through his research on xerophthalmia, karatomalacia and night blindness Wald revealed the critical function of vitamin A in normal vision and visual pathology. (Thanks to Juan Weiss for this reference and their inter…

1934

#1201

Über die Synthese des Testikelhormons (Androsteron) und Stereoisomerer desselben durch Abbau hydrierter Sterine.

First complete synthesis of a sex hormone (androsterone). With M. W. Goldberg, J. Meyer, H. Brüngger, and E. Eichenberger. In 1939 Ruzicka shared the 1939 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Butenandt (No. 1195) "for his wo…

1935

#1949

Ein Beitrag zur Chemotherapie der bakteriellen Infektionen.

Introduction of Prontosil, the first drug containing sulfanilamide. In 1939 Domagk was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for the discovery of the antibacterial effects of prontosil."

1935

#14370

Der Kumpan in der Umwelt des Vogels - Der Artgenosse als auslösendes Moment sozialer Verhaltensweisen.

This paper is often considered the foundational text and conceptual bedrock for ethology, the scientific study of animal behavior. Lorenz concentrated his studies in the bird populations. He analyzed social behavior i…

1936

#1153

Über Bestandteile der Nebennieren-Rinde. VI. Trennungsmethoden sowie Isolierung der Substanzen Fa, H, und j.

Isolation of Compound Fa, identical with Compounds E and F. "In the mid-1930s Edward Kendall and Tadeus Reichstein succeeded in isolating and analyzing the composition of a number of similar hormones derived from the …

1936

#4905

Essai d’un traitement chirurgical de certaines psychoses.

Prefrontal leucotomy (lobotomy). Translation in J. Neurosurg., 1964, 21, 1110-14. See also Egas Moniz's book Tentatives opératoires dans le traitement de certaines psychoses, Paris, 1936. His name was originally Anton…

1937

#751.1

Citric acid in intermediate metabolism in animal tissues.

Citric acid cycle (CAC) of aerobic carbohydrate metabolism (Krebs cycle). Three months after his initial publication on CAC Krebs published a supplementary paper aimed at the medical audience, rather than the biochemi…

1937

#1925

Action protectrice des éthers phénoliques au cours de l’intoxication histaminique.

First description of structure and action of an antihistamine. In 1957 Bovet was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for his discoveries relating to synthetic compounds that inhibit the action of certai…

1937

#5467

The use of yellow fever virus modified by in vitro cultivation for human immunization.

Immunization without the use of immune serum. In 1951 Theiler was awared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discovery of an effective vaccine against yellow fever." This was the first Nobel Prize award…

1938

#1532

The responses of single optic nerve fibers of the vertebrate eye to illumination of the retina.

Hartline continued and extended the work initiated by Adrian and Matthews on electrical discharges from the optic nerve. See also his later papers In the same journal, 1940, 130, 690-711. Reprinted with historical int…

1939

#1081

The isolation of vitamin K1.

Order of authorship in the original publication: Binkley, MacCorquodale, Thayer, Doisy. In 1943 Doisy received half of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discovery of the chemical nature of vitamin K."…

1939

#1310.1

Action potentials recorded from inside a nerve fibre.

Hodgkin and Huxley were the first to succeed in inserting electrodes into a living giant nerve fiber and to measure directly the action potential within it. In 1963 Hodgkin and Huxley shared the Nobel Prize in Physiol…

1940

#1934

Penicillin as a chemotherapeutic agent.

Proof of the therapeutic action in vivo of penicillin against streptococcal and other bacterial infections. Building upon Fleming’s work (No. 1933 and 10784), the consequences of which had originally been widely unapp…

1941

#2871

Catheterization of the right auricle in man.

First investigations with the cardiac catheter as a clinical method of investigation. In 1956 Cournand in 1956 shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Forssmann (No. 2858) and Richards (No. 2883.2) "for …

1941

#4276

Studies on prostatic cancer. I. The effect of castration, of estrogen, and of androgen injection on serum phosphatases in metastatic carcinoma of the prostate.

In 1966 Huggins was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discovering in 1941 "for his discoveries concerning hormonal treatment of prostatic cancer."

1941

#254.3

Genetic control of biochemical reactions in Neurospora.

Beadle and Tatum proposed the "one gene, one enzyme" hypothesis in 1941. This was a restatement of ideas originally proposed by Archibald Garrod (No. 244.1) in 1908. 1958 Beadle and Tatum shared the Nobel Prize in Phy…

1942

#14239

On the utilization of acetic acid for cholesterol formation.

See also, Rittenberg & Bloch, "The Utilization of Acetic Acid for the Synthesis of Fatty Acids," J. Biol. Chem. 160, 1945, 417-424. Bloch, "The Biological Conversion of Cholesterol to Pregnanediol," J. Biol. Chem. 157…

1944

#1928.3

Über Konstitution und toxische Wirkung von natürlichen und neuen synthetischen insektentötenden Stoffen.

Müller introduced Dichlordiphenyltrichlorethane (DDT) as an insecticide. With H. Martin and P. Läuger. In 1948 Müller received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discovery of the high efficiency of DDT…

1944

#1935

Streptomycin, a substance exhibiting antibiotic activity against Grampositive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Introduction of streptomycin. Order of authorship: Schatz, Gregory, Waksman. In 1952 Waksman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for ingenious, systematic, and successful studies of the soil microbe…

1945

#14284

Acetylation of sulfanilamide by liver homogenates and extracts.

Discovery of co-enzyme A and its importance for intermediary metabolism. This discovery illuminated “the process by which cells make available the energy to drive their manufacturing processes” (Judson, p. 245). In 19…

1946

#1354.1

A specific sympathomimetic ergone in adrenergic nerve fibres (sympathin) and its relations to adrenaline and nor-adrenaline.

Noradrenaline shown to be the predominant transmitter of the effects of sympathetic nerve impulses. In 1970 Euler shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Katz and Axelrod "for their discoveries concernin…

1946

#2578.5

Induced mutations in bacterial viruses.

Genetic recombination in bacteriophages. In 1969 Delbrück shared the Nobel Prize with A. D. Hershey and S. E. Luria "for their discoveries concerning the replication mechanism and the genetic structure of viruses."

1946

#255.4

Gene recombination in Escherichia coli.

Discovery of sexual processes in the reproduction of bacteria. In 1958 Lederberg shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Tatum and Beadle (No. 254.3) "for his discoveries concerning genetic recombination…

1946

#14138

Die Tänze der Bienen.

Von Frisch discovered the waggle dance, a particular figure-eight dance of honey bees by which successful foragers can communicate information with other members of their colony about the direction and distance to pat…

1947

#751.4

Enzymatic reactions in carbohydrate metabolism.

In 1947 Carl Cori and his wife Gerty Cori (1896-1957) shared the Nobel Prize (with Houssay) “for their discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen.” They are more often remembered for the Cori cycl…

1947

#1534

Sensory mechanisms of the retina: with an appendix on electroretinography.

An account of twenty years’ work on the electrical responses of the retina, a discussion of visual purple and visual violet, and an exposition of Granit’s hypothesis of colour vision. His researches have done much to …

1948

#1451.1

Die funktionelle Organisation des vegetativen Nervensystems.

In 1949 Hess shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Egas Moniz in 1949 “for his discovery of the functional organization of the interbrain as a coordinator of the activities of the internal organs.”

1949

#4508

The effects of a hormone of the adrenal cortex (17-hydroxy-11-dehydrocorticosterone: compound E) and of pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone on rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction of cortisone and A.C.T.H. in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. With C. H. Slocumb, and H. F. Polley. In 1950 Hench and Kendall shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Tadeusz Reichstein (No…

1949

#4671.1

Cultivation of the Lansing strain of poliomyelitis virus in cultures of various human embryonic tissues.

Enders, Weller, and Robbins grew the poliomyelitis virus in cultures of different tissues. Their method proved of great value in virus research, and removed the final obstacles to vaccine production. In 1974 Enders, W…

1949

#2526.1

Genetic recombinations leading to production of active bacteriophage from ultraviolet inactivated bacteriophage particles.

In 1969 Luria shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in with Delbrück (No. 2578.5) and A. D. Hershey (No. 256) "for their discoveries concerning the replication mechanism and the genetic structure of viruses."

1950

#12063

The origin and behavior of mutable loci in maize.

"In the summer of 1944 at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, McClintock systematic studies on the mechanisms of the mosaic color patterns of maize seed and the unstable inheritance of this mosaicism.[44] She identified tw…

1951

#13595

The technique of free skin grafting in mammals.

This "paper facilitated the later discovery of `actively acquired tolerance' and the definition of the principal laws of transplantation tolerance. Thus, it was in a series of classic experiments (stemming from this J…

1952

#1354.2

Different forms of signalling employed by the nervous system.

In 1970 Katz shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Ulf von Euler and J. Axelrod "for their discoveries concerning the humoral transmitters in the nerve terminals and the mechanism for their storage, re…

1952

#3108.2

Studies on condensed pyrimidine system. IX. The synthesis of some 6-substituted purines.

Synthesis of 6-mercaptopurine. In 1988 Gertrude Elion shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with George Hitchings and Sir James Black “for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment.”

1952

#256

Independent functions of viral protein and nucleic acid in growth of bacteriophage.

DNA shown to be the carrier of genetic information in virus reproduction. In 1969 Hershey shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with S. E. Luria and M. Delbrück for "for their discoveries concerning the rep…

1952

#13938

Rôle des cations bivalents dans l'induction du développement du prophage par les agents reducteurs.

Lwoff gave the name "prophage" to the form in which the genome of the bacteriophage is perpetuated in lysogenic bacteria. The bacteriophages produced by these bacteria, known as temperate bacteriophages, can therefore…

1953

#256.3

Molecular structure of nucleic acids. A structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid.

Watson and Crick shared the Nobel Prize with M. H. F. Wilkins (No. 256.4) "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material." L…

1953

#256.4

Helical structure of crystalline deoxypentose nucleic acid.

In 1962 Wilkins shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Crick and Watson "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living…

1954

#14243

In vitro experiments on the effects of mouse sarcomas 180 and 37 on the spinal and sympathetic ganglia of the chick embryo.

Discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF). Order of authorship in the original publication: Levi-Montalcini, Meyer, Hamburger. In 1986 Levi-Montalcini was awarded half of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and St…

1955

#13685

A small particulate component of the cytoplasm.

Palade first described the association of what were subsequently determined to ribosomes with membranes. He and Keith Porter subsequently named this structure the endoplasmic reticulum. Digital facsimile from PubMedCe…

1956

#752.4

Enzymic synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid.

In 1959 Kornberg shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Severo Ochoa "for their discovery of the mechanisms in the biological synthesis of ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid." Order of authorshi…

1956

#4257

Successful homotransplantation of the human kidney between identical twins.

This was the first successful kidney transplant. The patient, both of whose own kidneys had been removed, was alive 11 months after the transplant. With Warren R. Guild. See No. 4256.1. In 1990 Joseph Murray shared th…

1957

#752.5

The nature and mode of action of oxidation enzymes. Nobel Lecture, December 12, 1955. In: Festschrift Arthur Stoll, pp. 35-47.

In 1955 Theorell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discoveries relating to the nature and mode of action of oxidation enzymes."

1957

#13594

Intravenous infusion of bone marrow in patients receiving radiation and chemotherapy.

Thomas and colleagues reported the first bone marrow transplants. They described the treatment of six patients with cancers and/leukemia and one patient with multiple myeloma. Three of the patients died, two responded…

1957

#14250

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine and 5-Hydroxytryptophan as reserpine rntagonists.

Carlsson demonstrated that dopamine was a neurotransmitter in the brain and not just a precursor for norepinephrine. Digital facsimile from nature.com at this link. In 2000 Arvid Carlsson shared the Nobel Prize in Phy…

1958

#752.6

Studies on polynucleotides. I. A new and general method for the chemical synthesis of the C5'-C3' intemucleotide linkage. Synthesis of deoxyribo-dinucleotides.

In 1968 Khorana shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with R. W. Holley and M. W. Nirenberg "for their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis." H. G. Khorana, T. M. Jacob, …

1958

#1931.6

Enzymatic O-methylation of epinephrine and other catechols.

The authors discovered the enzyme "COMT" or cathecol-O-methyltransferase, and determined that it was crucial in the methylation and inactivation of adrenergic and other catecholamine type neurotransmitters. (Thanks to…