Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is one of the six Nobel Prizes established by the will of inventor Alfred Nobel. It has been awarded annually (with some exceptions) by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, since 1901. It is awarded for outstanding discoveries in the fields of life science and medicine.

History[edit | edit source]

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was first awarded in 1901 to Emil von Behring, for his work on serum therapy. This award is administered by the Nobel Foundation and awarded by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on proposal of the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute.

Selection and Prizes[edit | edit source]

The Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously. However, if a person is awarded a prize and dies before receiving it, the prize may still be presented. A maximum of three laureates and two different works may be selected per award. More often a prize is awarded to one or two laureates.

Laureates receive a gold medal, a diploma and a sum of money that has been decided by the Nobel Foundation. As of 2012, each prize was worth 8 million SEK (c. US$1.2 million, €0.93 million).

Notable Laureates[edit | edit source]

Some of the notable laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine include Albert Schweitzer, Alexander Fleming, and Frederick Banting. Schweitzer won the prize in 1952 for his philosophy of "Reverence for Life". Fleming, along with Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain, won the prize in 1945 for the discovery of penicillin. Banting, along with John James Rickard Macleod, won the prize in 1923 for the discovery of insulin.

Criticisms[edit | edit source]

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been subject to criticism, including that it is biased towards Western science and male scientists. The prize has also been criticized for honoring discoveries over inventions or theoretical work.