Things to know about the Nobel Prize for Medicine

Alfred Nobel was particularly interested in medical research. Through the Karolinska Institute, he contacted Swedish physiologist Jöns Johansson around 1890. Johansson went to work in the Nobel laboratory in Sèvran, France for a period of that year. Physiology or Medicine is the third awarding area mentioned by Nobel in his will.

A Nobel Prize medal is on display. (Photo: Postmedia News).

In 1901, Emil von Behring Emil von Behring was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on serum therapy, especially because of its application in the treatment of diphtheria. . The Nobel Prize in Medicine later honored a series of important discoveries including penicillin, genetic mapping and blood classification.

The Nobel Prize for Medicine is awarded annually by the Nobel Council at Karolinska Institute.

Number of Nobel Prize for Medicine

100 Nobel Prize for Medicine has been awarded since 1901. However, a total of 9 awards were not awarded in 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1921, 1925, 1940, 1941 and 1942 . Why is that? In the Nobel Fund's regulations, it states: " If there are no approved projects, considered to be of importance as mentioned in the first part, the prize money will be retained for the following year. If, even then, the prize cannot be awarded, the prize money will be added to the Nobel Fund's limited funds . " During World War I and World War II, the number of Nobel laureates has less.

Impressive statistics on the Nobel Prize for Medicine

37 prizes were awarded to a single winner.

31 prizes were awarded to two winners.

32 awards were given to the three winners.

Why is that? The Nobel Fund's regulations clearly state: The prize value can be divided equally for two buildings, each of which is considered worthy of being awarded. If a prize is awarded by two or three people, the prize will be awarded to them. In no case is the prize value shared to more than 3 winners.

The owners of the Nobel Prize for Medicine

195 individuals have received the Nobel Prize in Medicine since 1901 and none of them have been awarded twice.

Among the owners of the Nobel Prize for Medicine, only 10 are women and Barabara McClintock is the only female scientist who does not have to share the prestigious Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Until now, the youngest owner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine is Frederick G. Banting. Mr. Banting was awarded the award in 1923 when he was 32 years old.

In contrast, the oldest person ever to receive the award is Peyton Rous. He became the Nobel laureate in 1966 when he was 87 years old.

The oldest winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine is Rita Levi-Montalcini. She became the Nobel laureate in 1986 and celebrated her 100th birthday on April 22, 2009.

No Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to a deceased scientist. Since 1974, the Nobel Fund's statute states that no Nobel Prize has been given to the deceased, unless that death occurs after claiming they have won the prize. Before 1974, the Nobel Prize was awarded only to the deceased twice: Dag Hammarskjöld (Nobel Peace Prize in 1961) and Erik Axel Karlfeldt (Nobel Prize for Literature in 1931).

There was a scientist who had been banned from receiving the Nobel Prize for medicine by the country's authorities: Adolf Hitler had banned three German scientists from receiving the Nobel Prize, including Gerhard Domagk, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1939 The remaining two scientists won the Nobel Prize in the field of Chemistry, Richard Kuhn in 1938 and Adolf Butenandt in 1939. All of these scientists can then receive medals and certificates of Nobel Prize, except bonus.

Nobel Prize laureates in a family

Husband and wife: Gerty Cori and Carl Cori were awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize for Medicine

Father and son: - Hans von Euler-Chelpin (Nobel of Chemistry) and Ulf von Euler (Nobel Medicine)

- Arthur Kornberg (Nobel Medicine) and Roger D. Kornberg (Chemistry Nobel)

Brothers: Jan Tinbergen (Nobel Economics) and Nikolaas Tinbergen (Nobel Medicine)