Daniel Bovet
Facts
Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.
Daniel Bovet
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1957
Born: 23 March 1907, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Died: 8 April 1992, Rome, Italy
Affiliation at the time of the award: Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Chief Institute of Public Health), Rome, Italy
Prize motivation: “for his discoveries relating to synthetic compounds that inhibit the action of certain body substances, and especially their action on the vascular system and the skeletal muscles”
Prize share: 1/1
Work
Hormones and signal substances are chemical materials that convey signals governing different parts of the body. These substances include histamines, which are involved in allergic reactions, and it can be difficult to moderate their effects. Daniel Bovet looked for substances that block histamines, and in 1937 he found the first antihistamine, which later led to other antihistamine formulations to relieve allergies. Bovet also produced additional substances that block signal substances in other ways and have a numbing effect, among other things.
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.
