Archibald V. Hill

Facts

Archibald Vivian Hill

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Archibald Vivian Hill
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1922

Born: 26 September 1886, Bristol, United Kingdom

Died: 3 June 1977, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Affiliation at the time of the award: London University, London, United Kingdom

Prize motivation: “for his discovery relating to the production of heat in the muscle”

Archibald V.

Prize share: 1/2

Work

In order to work, our muscles need energy, which is released by chemical processes. During the 1910s Archibald Hill outlined these processes by studying muscles from frogs. In opposition to the prevailing view that mechanical movement and chemical processes were parallel sequences, Hill was able to show through measurements of heat generated by the mechanical processes that these were delayed in relation to the movements. The chemical sequence consists of a work phase, which is not dependent on oxygen supply, and a recovery phase, when oxygen is required.

To cite this section
MLA style: Archibald V. Hill – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Fri. 22 Nov 2024. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1922/hill/facts/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

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.

Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.