The 1919 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Belgian immunologist Jules Bordet for discovering the complement fixation phenomenon and laying the foundations for serological diagnostic methods. Bordet's work revolutionized laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases.
The 1910 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to the German biochemist Albrecht Kossel for identifying the chemical building blocks of nucleic acids and laying the foundations of cell chemistry. Kossel's discoveries were the first steps on the road to unravelling the structure of DNA.
The 1908 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was shared between Ilya Mechnikov and Paul Ehrlich for their work illuminating the two principal arms of the immune system. Mechnikov's discovery of phagocytosis and Ehrlich's theory of humoral immunity laid the foundations of modern immunology.
The 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was shared by Camillo Golgi and Santiago Ramón y Cajal for their groundbreaking work on the structure of the nervous system. Despite defending opposing theories, these two scientists laid the foundations of modern neurobiology together.
The 1903 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Danish physician Niels Ryberg Finsen for placing the medical use of light on a scientific foundation and revolutionizing the treatment of lupus vulgaris. Finsen is considered the founder of modern phototherapy.
The 1904 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov for his pioneering work on digestive physiology. Pavlov's discovery of classical conditioning laid the foundations for psychology and neurobiology.
The 1912 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to the French-American surgeon Alexis Carrel for developing the technique of suturing blood vessels and laying the foundations of organ transplantation. Carrel's vascular suture technique heralded the birth of modern cardiovascular surgery.
The 1902 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to British physician Ronald Ross, who proved that the malaria parasite is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Ross's discovery laid the foundation for the fight against one of the deadliest diseases in human history.
Healing from the power of the sun! Dr. Niels Ryberg Finsen won the Nobel Prize for treating lupus vulgaris with ultraviolet light. The life and groundbreaking work of this pioneer of light therapy will astonish you — his impact on modern medicine endures.