Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nobel Prizein Physiology or Medicine |
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| Presented by | Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet | |||
| Location | Stockholm, Sweden | |||
| Reward | 11 million SEK (2024) | |||
| First awarded | 1901 | |||
| Last awarded | 2024 | |||
| Currently held by | Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun (2024) | |||
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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (Swedish: Nobelpriset i fysiologi eller medicin) is a very important award given each year. It celebrates amazing discoveries in physiology (how living things work) or medicine (how to treat illnesses). It's one of five different Nobel Prizes created by Alfred Nobel. These prizes are given to people who have done the "greatest benefit to humankind" in fields like Physics, Medicine or Physiology, Chemistry, Literature, and Peace.
The Nobel Prize ceremony happens every year on December 10th. This date is special because it's the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. As of 2024, 115 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine have been given out. A total of 229 people have won, including 216 men and 13 women.
The very first prize in this field was given in 1901. It went to Emil von Behring from Germany. He won for his work on "serum therapy," which helped create a vaccine against diphtheria. The first woman to win this prize was Gerty Cori in 1947. She helped us understand how the body uses glucose, which is important for treating conditions like diabetes. The most recent prize was announced on October 7, 2024. It was awarded to Americans Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun. They won for discovering microRNA and how it helps control genes.
When someone wins a Nobel Prize, they receive a special medal, a diploma, and money. The front of the medal shows a picture of Alfred Nobel. The back of the medal is unique for each prize.
Sometimes, the awards have caused discussions. For example, the 1949 prize to António Egas Moniz for a brain surgery called lobotomy was debated by doctors. Also, Nobel Prizes cannot be given to someone after they have died. And no more than three people can share a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. This rule is sometimes discussed because many important science projects today are done by large teams.
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Who Was Alfred Nobel?
Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 21, 1833. His family were engineers. He grew up to be a chemist, engineer, and inventor. He became very wealthy from his 355 inventions, with dynamite being the most famous. Alfred Nobel was also interested in how the body works. He even built his own labs in France and Italy to do experiments. He supported other scientists, like Ivan Pavlov, and believed that scientific discoveries would help people greatly.
In 1888, Alfred Nobel was surprised to read his own obituary (a notice of someone's death) in a French newspaper. It said, "The merchant of death is dead." But it was actually his brother, Ludvig, who had died. Nobel was unhappy with how he was described. This made him want to change his will so that his legacy would be better. In his last will, Nobel asked for his money to be used to create prizes. These prizes would honor those who brought the "greatest benefit on mankind" in physics, chemistry, peace, physiology or medicine, and literature. He wrote this will a little over a year before he died in 1896 at age 63.
After Nobel's death, the Nobel Foundation was created to manage his money. In 1900, the rules for the Nobel Foundation were approved by the Swedish King. According to Nobel's will, the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, which is a medical school and research center, is in charge of choosing the winners for the Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Today, people often just call it the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
How Winners Are Chosen
Alfred Nobel wanted the prize to be given for a "discovery" that would bring "greatest benefit on mankind." Only certain people can suggest nominees for the award. These include members of science academies around the world. Also, professors of medicine in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Finland can nominate. Professors from certain universities and research centers in other countries can also suggest names. Past Nobel winners can also nominate new candidates.
Until 1977, all professors at the Karolinska Institute decided on the winner. But then, Swedish law changed. It required that documents about the Nobel Prize be made public. So, a new group was formed called the Nobel Assembly. It has 50 professors from the Karolinska Institute. This group chooses a Nobel Committee of five members. This committee evaluates the nominees. They also have a Secretary who organizes everything and ten extra members to help evaluate candidates each year. In 1968, a rule was added that no more than three people can share a Nobel Prize.
The committee usually chooses researchers who work on basic science. This means they focus on understanding how things work, rather than just creating new treatments. For example, Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin created the polio vaccines. But the prize went to John Enders, Thomas Weller, and Frederick Robbins. They won because they made the basic discovery that the polio virus could grow in monkey cells in a lab. This discovery made the vaccines possible.
What Winners Receive
A Nobel Prize winner in Medicine or Physiology gets a gold medal, a diploma with a special message, and money. These are given out at a fancy ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Medals
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The medal for Physiology and Medicine has a picture of Alfred Nobel on the front. A Swedish artist named Erik Lindberg designed it. The back of the medal shows a picture of the 'Genius of Medicine'. She is holding an open book and collecting water from a rock to help a sick girl. It has a Latin phrase that means "It is beneficial to have improved (human) life through discovered arts." The winner's name is also written on the medal.
The Diplomas
The King of Sweden gives each Nobel winner their diploma. Each diploma is unique and designed just for that winner. Famous Swedish artists and calligraphers (people who do beautiful handwriting) create them. The diploma has a picture and text that tells the winner's name and why they received the prize.
The Award Money
Winners also get a document that shows how much money they have won. The amount can change each year. For example, in 2009, the total was 10 million Swedish Krona (SEK). In 2012, it was 8 million SEK. If two people win, they split the money equally. If three people win, the committee might split it equally, or give half to one person and a quarter to each of the other two.
The Ceremony and Banquet
The awards are given at a grand ceremony, followed by a fancy dinner called the Nobel Banquet. The menu for the banquet is planned months ahead and kept secret until the day of the event. It's a three-course meal now, but it used to be six courses in 1901! Each winner can bring up to 16 guests. The Swedish royal family, the Prime Minister, and other government members usually attend.
Famous Winners
The first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was given in 1901 to Emil Adolf von Behring from Germany. His discovery of "serum therapy" helped doctors fight illnesses and save lives, especially by creating vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus. In 1902, Ronald Ross won for his work on malaria. He showed how the disease enters the body and helped find ways to fight it. He discovered that mosquitoes spread malaria. The 1903 prize went to Niels Ryberg Finsen. He won for using "concentrated light radiation" to treat diseases like lupus. He opened a new path for medical science. Sadly, he died within a year of receiving the prize at age 43.
Ivan Pavlov, a scientist whose work Alfred Nobel admired, won the prize in 1904. He won for his work on how our bodies digest food.
Sometimes, the committee has given the prize for discoveries that seem more like animal behavior studies than traditional medicine. For example, in 1973, Nikolaas Tinbergen, Konrad Lorenz, and Karl von Frisch won. They won for their observations of animal behavior patterns. Tinbergen himself was surprised, saying they were "mere animal watchers."
Winners have been recognized for work in many different areas related to physiology or medicine. Many prizes have been given for understanding how cells communicate and how our bodies process food. As of 2009, 195 people had won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Thirteen women have won this prize. The first was Gerty Cori in 1947. Only one woman, Barbara McClintock, won the prize by herself in this category. She won for discovering how genes can move around on chromosomes.
In 2007, Mario Capecchi, Martin Evans, and Oliver Smithies won for finding a way to change genes in mice using stem cells. This led to the creation of "knockout mice," which are very useful for studying diseases. In 2009, Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol W. Greider, and Jack W. Szostak won. They discovered how chromosomes are protected by special parts called telomeres and an enzyme called telomerase.
Rita Levi-Montalcini, an Italian neurologist, won in 1986 with Stanley Cohen. They discovered nerve growth factor (NGF). She was the first Nobel winner to live to be 100 years old.
The prize has been given to a single person 38 times. It has been shared by two people 31 times, and by three people 33 times. Three is the most people allowed to share one prize.
Discoveries Take Time
Sometimes, it takes many years for a discovery to be fully understood and recognized. For example, Barbara McClintock made her discoveries in 1944, but she didn't win the prize until 1983. Similarly, Peyton Rous discovered tumor viruses in chickens in 1916, but he won the prize 50 years later in 1966.
Nobel winner Carol Greider noted that it's good that medical discoveries can take time to be recognized. This allows scientists to fully understand their importance. In 2011, Canadian immunologist Ralph M. Steinman was awarded the prize. However, the committee didn't know he had died three days before the announcement. They decided to let the award stand since it was given in good faith.
Discussions About Winners
Some Nobel Prizes have caused discussions. For example, the 1923 prize for the discovery of insulin was debated. It was shared by Frederick Banting and John Macleod. Banting felt that his lab partner, Charles Best, should have shared the prize with him. So, Banting gave half of his prize money to Best. Macleod also shared his prize money with another scientist, James Collip, who had helped with the research.
In 1949, António Egas Moniz received the prize for developing a brain surgery called the prefrontal leucotomy. This award caused protests from many doctors. The surgery was sometimes performed without enough care for patients.
The 1952 prize, given to Selman Waksman for discovering streptomycin, did not include Albert Schatz, who also helped with the discovery. Schatz later went to court and was recognized as a co-discoverer.
The 1962 prize for the discovery of the DNA structure went to James D. Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins. However, other scientists like Rosalind Franklin also did very important work that helped with this discovery. Unfortunately, Franklin died before the prize was awarded, and Nobel Prizes cannot be given after someone has passed away.
The 2008 award also led to discussions. It went to Harald zur Hausen for discovering that HPV can cause cervical cancer. It also went to Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier for discovering the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). There was debate about who deserved more credit for the HIV discovery.
Limits on Number of Winners
Since 1968, a rule says that no more than three people can share one Nobel Prize. This rule has caused some discussion. In recent years, more and more people have shared the prize. This is because modern science often involves large teams working together. It can be hard to pick just three people when many have contributed to a big discovery. This rule sometimes means that deserving scientists are not included in the award.
Years Without Awards
There have been nine years when the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was not awarded. Most of these happened during World War I (1914–1918) or World War II (1939–1945). In 1939, Nazi Germany stopped Gerhard Domagk from accepting his prize. He was later able to receive the diploma and medal, but not the money.
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See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Ganadores del Premio Nobel de Fisiología o Medicina para niños
