Nobel Prize in Medicine : All you wanted to know

You have heard of the Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded in the past, to noted physicists like Albert Einstein and Marie Curie. The Nobel Peace Prize too, was in the national news, when our very own Kailash Satyarthi was awarded the prize for the struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. In this SMBT blog however, we discuss the lesser known but equally important Nobel Prize in Medicine and its significance this year.   

 

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (or simply the Nobel Prize in Medicine) is awarded every year to by the Nobel Foundation for outstanding discoveries in the field of Medicine. First awarded in 1901, a total of 111 Nobel Prizes in Medicine have been awarded so far to around 222 individuals so far. It is interesting to note that Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud was nominated 32 times for the Nobel Prize in Medicine, however he was never awarded the same.       

Although all the Nobel Prizes in Medicine have been awarded for contributions that have enriched the field of science and medicine, the Nobel Prize in Medicine 2020 has its special significance. This year, the Prize was bestowed jointly upon Micheal Hougton, Charles M Rice and Harvey J Alter for the ‘discovery of Hepatitis C virus’. Hepatitis C virus is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids. The said discovery eventually led scientists to find a cure and made blood transfusion safer for everyone. 

The significance of this year’s Nobel Prize is high because we are living in an age where virologists and scientists all across the globe are trying to find a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus. This award highlights the importance of such research and reminds us that a challenging battle against a virus was won in the past and that we can do it once again.      

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