Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Discoveries in Physiology or Medicine that led to benefit for mankind Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ( Swedish : Nobelpriset i fysiologi eller medicin ) administered by the Nobel Foundation , is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel , the inventor of dynamite , in his will, the others being for contributions in Physics , Chemistry , Literature and Peace . Nobel was personally interested in experimental physiology and wanted to establish a prize for progress through scientific discoveries in laboratories. The Nobel prize is presented to the recipient(s) at an annual ceremony on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death, along with a diploma and a certificate for the monetary award. The front side of the medal provides the same profile of Alfred Nobel as depicted on the medals for Physics, Chemistry, and Literature; its reverse side is unique to this medal.

As of 2010, 101 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded to 196 men, and 10 women. The first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded in 1901 to the German physiologist Emil Adolf von Behring , for his work on serum therapy and the development of a vaccine against diphtheria . The first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Gerty Cori , received it in 1947 for her role in elucidating the metabolism of glucose , important in many aspects of medicine, including treatment of diabetes. In 2010, the prize was awarded to Robert G. Edwards of the United Kingdom for the development of in vitro fertilization.

Some awards have been controversial. This includes one to Ant?nio Egas Moniz in 1949 for the prefrontal leucotomy , bestowed despite protests from the medical establishment. Other controversies resulted from disagreements over who was included in the award. The 1952 prize to Selman Waksman was litigated in court, and half the patent rights awarded to his co-discoverer Albert Schatz who was not recognized by the prize. The 1962 prize awarded to James D. Watson , Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for their work on DNA structure and properties did not acknowledge the contributing work from others, such as Oswald Avery and Rosalind Franklin who had died by the time of the nomination. Since the Nobel Prize rules forbid nominations of the deceased, longevity is an asset, one prize being awarded as long as 50 years after the discovery. Also forbidden is awarding any one prize to more than three recipients, and since in the last half century there has been an increasing tendency for scientists to work as teams, this rule has resulted in controversial exclusions.

Alfred Nobel was born on October 21, 1833 in Stockholm , Sweden into a family of engineers.He was a chemist, engineer and inventor who amassed a fortune during his lifetime, most of it from his 355 inventions of which dynamite is the most famous.He was interested in experimental physiology and set up his own labs in France and Italy to conduct experiments in blood transfusions. Keeping abreast of scientific findings, he was generous in his donations to Ivan Pavlov 's laboratory in Russia, and was optimistic about the progress resulting from scientific discoveries made in laboratories.

In 1888, Nobel was surprised to read his own obituary, titled ‘The merchant of death is dead’ , in a French newspaper. As it happened, it was Nobel's brother Ludvig who had died, but Nobel, unhappy with the content of the obituary and concerned that his legacy would reflect poorly on him, was inspired to change his will.In his last will, Nobel requested that his money be used to create a series of prizes for those who confer the "greatest benefit on mankind" in physics , chemistry , peace , physiology or medicine , and literature .Though Nobel wrote several wills during his lifetime, the last was written a little over a year before he died at the age of 63.Because his will was contested, it was not approved by the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) until April 26, 1897.

After Nobel?s death, the Nobel Foundation was set up to manage the assets of the bequest.In 1900, the Nobel Foundation's newly created statutes were promulgated by Swedish King Oscar II .According to Nobel's will, the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, a medical school and research center, is responsible for the Prize in Physiology or Medicine.Today the prize is commonly referred to as the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

It was important to Nobel that the prize be awarded for a "discovery" and that was of "greatest benefit on mankind".Per the provisions of the will, only select persons are eligible to nominate individuals for the award. These include members of academies around the world, professors of medicine in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Finland, as well as professors of selected universities and research institutions in other lands. Past Nobel laureates may also nominate.Until 1977, all professors of Karolinska Institutet together decided on the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. That year, changes in Swedish law самостоятельно рекомендовавшаяany documents pertaining to the Nobel Prize public and it was considered necessary to establish a legally independent body for the Prize work. Therefore, the Nobel Assembly was constituted, consisting of 50 professors at Karolinska Institutet. It elects the Nobel Committee with 5 members who evaluate the nominees, the Secretary who is in charge of the organization, and each year 10 adjunct members to assist in the evaluation of candidates. In 1968, a provision was added that no more than three persons may share a Nobel prize.The 2010 winner(s) were announced October 4, 2010.

True to its mandate, the Committee has selected researchers working in the basic sciences over those who have made applied contributions. Harvey Cushing , a pioneering American neurosurgeon who identified Cushing's syndrome never was awarded the prize, nor was Sigmund Freud , as his psychoanalysis lacks hypotheses that can be tested experimentally.The public expected Jonas Salk or Albert Sabin to win the prize for their development of the polio vaccines , but instead the award went to John Enders , Thomas Weller , and Frederick Robbins whose basic discovery that the polio virus could reproduce in monkey cells in laboratory preparations was a fundamental finding that led to the elimination of the disease of polio.

Through the 1930s, there were frequent prize winners in classical Physiology , but after that the field began dissolving into specialties. The last classical physiology winners were John Eccles , Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley in 1963 for their findings regarding "unitary electrical events in the central and peripheral nervous system."

A Medicine or Physiology Nobel Prize laureate, earns a gold medal , a diploma bearing a citation , and a sum of money.These are awarded at the Nobel Banquet.

The Nobel Prize medals, minted by Myntverket in Sweden are registered trademarks of the Nobel Foundation. Each medal features an image of Alfred Nobel in left profile on the obverse (front side of the medal). The Nobel Prize medals for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature have identical obverses, showing the image of Alfred Nobel and the years of his birth and death (1833–1896). Before 1980, the medals were made of 23K gold; since then the medals are of 18K green gold, plated with 23K gold.

The medal awarded by the Karolinska Institute displays an image of "the Genius of Medicine holding an open book in her lap, collecting the water pouring out from a rock in order to quench a sick girl's thirst." The medal is inscribed with words taken from Virgil's Aeneid and reads: Inventas vitam juvat excoluisse per artes , which translates to "inventions enhance life which is beautified through art."

Nobel laureates receive a Diploma directly from the King of Sweden . Each Diploma is uniquely designed by the prize-awarding institutions for the laureate that receives it. In the case of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, that is the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute. Well known artists and calligraphers from Sweden are commissioned to create it.The Diploma contains a picture and text which states the name of the laureate and a citation as to why they received the prize.

The amount of prize money fluctuates depending on how much money the Nobel Foundation can award that year, and is awarded in Swedish kronor (SEK).The first award in 1901 was for 150,782 kronor (7,872,648 kronor in 2009 value).In 2009, the prize money totaled 10,000,000 kronor.If there are two winners in a particular category, the award grant is divided equally between the recipients. If there are three, the awarding committee has the option of dividing the grant equally, or awarding one-half to one recipient and one-quarter to each of the others.

The awards are bestowed at a gala ceremony followed by a banquet.The Nobel Banquet is a extravagant affair with the menu, planned months ahead of time, kept secret until the day of the event. The Nobel Foundation chooses the menu after tasting and testing selections submitted by selected chefs of international repute. Currently it is a three course dinner, although it was originally six courses when it began in 1901. Every Nobel Prize winner is allowed to bring up to 16 guests, and Sweden's royal family is always there. Typically the Prime Minister and other members of the government attend as well as representatives of the Nobel family.