Edward A. Doisy
Facts
Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.
Edward Adelbert Doisy
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1943
Born: 13 November 1893, Hume, IL, USA
Died: 23 October 1986, St. Louis, MO, USA
Affiliation at the time of the award: Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA
Prize motivation: “for his discovery of the chemical nature of vitamin K”
Edward Doisy received his Nobel Prize one year later, in 1944.
Prize share: 1/2
Work
In addition to carbohydrates, proteins and fats, our bodies need vitamins to function well. Henrik Dam’s revelation that a substance he called vitamin K was needed for blood to coagulate was followed by a number of investigations into how this substance can be obtained. In 1939 Edward Doisy succeeded in producing two variants of vitamin K in pure form, allowing him to determine its structure and to produce it by artificial means. This became especially important in treating bleeding among small children.
Nobel Prizes and laureates
Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.
See them all presented here.
