Famous 20th Century Medical Scientists

Vote for Your Favourite 20th Century Medical Scientists

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 1 
Joseph Lister
(British Medical Scientist and a Pioneer in the Field of Antiseptic Medicine and Surgery)
Joseph Lister
6
Birthdate: April 5, 1827
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Upton House, West Ham, England
Died: February 10, 1912

British surgeon Joseph Lister was a pioneer of antiseptic medicine usage and made a huge contribution to the development of preventive medicine for bacterial infection. His achievements have been honored by many, such as the makers of Listerine antiseptic and mouthwash, who named their product after him.

 2 
Harold E. Varmus
(American Scientist Who Won Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of the Cellular Origin of Retroviral Oncogenes)
Harold E. Varmus
15
Birthdate: December 18, 1939
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Oceanside, New York, United States

Harold E. Varmus is an American scientist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with J. Michael Bishop for their discovery of the retroviral oncogenes' cellular origin. From 1993 to 1999, he served as the director of the National Institutes of Health. From 2010 to 2015, he served as the director of the National Cancer Institute.

 3 
Daniel Vasella
(Swiss medical doctor)
Daniel Vasella
26
Birthdate: August 15, 1953
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Fribourg, Switzerland
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 4 
Cesar Milstein
(Biochemist, Immunologist)
Cesar Milstein
15
Birthdate: October 8, 1927
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Died: March 24, 2002

Cesar Milstein was an Argentine biochemist renowned for his work in antibody research. He is credited with developing the Hybridoma technology, a method to produce identical antibodies in large numbers, for which he was honored with the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984. He also received several other awards, including the Copley Medal in 1989.

 5 
Baruj Benacerraf
(Immunologist)
Baruj Benacerraf
14
Birthdate: October 29, 1920
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Caracas, Venezuela
Died: August 2, 2011

Baruj Benacerraf was a Venezuelan-American immunologist whose discovery of the MHC genes earned him the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1980; he shared the prize with George Davis Snell and Jean Dausset. Over the course of his illustrious career, Benacerraf received several other awards, such as the National Medal of Science in 1990.

 6 
Jacinto Convit
(Physician)
Jacinto Convit
8
Birthdate: September 12, 1913
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Caracas, Venezuela
Died: May 12, 2014
 7 
Joseph L. Goldstein
(Molecular Geneticist)
Joseph L. Goldstein
6
Birthdate: April 18, 1940
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Kingstree, South Carolina, United States

American molecular geneticist Joseph L. Goldstein was born to clothing store owner parents in South Carolina. He ended up winning a Nobel Prize for his research on cholesterol metabolism, which later helped researchers develop statin drugs. He currently chairs the molecular genetics department of the University of Texas.

 8 
Joep Lange
(Medical researcher)
Joep Lange
14
Birthdate: September 25, 1954
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Nieuwenhagen, Netherlands
Died: July 17, 2014
 9 
Elsie Effah Kaufmann
(Ghanaian Biomedical Engineer)
Elsie Effah Kaufmann
8
Birthdate: September 7, 1969
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Ghanaian
 10 
Florence R. Sabin
(American Anatomist and Investigator of the Lymphatic System)
Florence R. Sabin
12
Birthdate: November 9, 1871
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Central City, Colorado, United States
Died: October 3, 1953

Florence R. Sabin was an American medical scientist best remembered as a pioneer for women in science. Sabin was the first woman to hold a membership at the National Academy of Sciences and a full professorship at the prestigious Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Florence R. Sabin was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1973.

 11 
Michael S. Brown
(Geneticist)
Michael S. Brown
8
Birthdate: April 13, 1941
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Michael S. Brown is an American geneticist who received the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. His research on cholesterol metabolism along with Joseph L. Goldstein paved the way for the development of statin drugs, which are used today by 16 million Americans. For his contributions to medicine, Brown was honored with the National Medal of Science in 1988.

 12 
Ulf von Euler
(Physiologist and Pharmacologist)
Ulf von Euler
5
Birthdate: February 7, 1905
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Died: March 9, 1983

Noted Swedish physiologist and pharmacologist Ulf von Euler was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology (1970) for his work on discovery of neurotransmitters. A full Professor of Physiology at Karolinska Institute for over three decades, he also received the Gairdner prize, became a Foreign Member of the Royal Society and a founding member of the World Cultural Council.

 13 
Victor A. McKusick
(American Medical Geneticist Known for His Early Recognition of the Significance of Mapping the Entire Human Genome)
Victor A. McKusick
7
Birthdate: October 21, 1921
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Parkman, Maine, United States
Died: July 22, 2008

Victor A. McKusick was an American medical geneticist and internist. Widely regarded as the father of medical genetics, McKusick was an ardent supporter of the mapping of the human genome. A celebrated geneticist, Victor A. McKusick won many prestigious awards including the Benjamin Franklin Medal for his contribution to science. 

 14 
Ghada Karmi
(Doctor of medicine)
Ghada Karmi
5
Birthdate: 1939 AD
Birthplace: Jerusalem

Palestinian doctor of medicine, author and academic Ghada Karmi is associated with the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter as research fellow and lecturer. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Karmi has penned several articles on Palestinian issues in Wayback Machine and in newspapers and magazines like Journal of Palestine Studies and The Guardian.

 15 
Jean Dausset
(French Immunologist Who was One of the Co-Recipients of the1980 Nobel Nobel Prize in Medicine)
Jean Dausset
5
Birthdate: October 19, 1916
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Toulouse, France
Died: June 6, 2009

Jean Dausset was a French immunologist best remembered for winning the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He won the award along with George Davis Snell and Baruj Benacerraf. Jean Dausset is also remembered for founding the Human Polymorphism Study Center in 1984.   

 16 
Frederick Chapman Robbins
(Virologist and Paediatrician)
Frederick Chapman Robbins
7
Birthdate: August 25, 1916
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Auburn, Alabama, United States
Died: August 4, 2003

Nobel Prize-winning American pediatrician and virologist Frederick Chapman Robbins is best remembered for his pathbreaking research on the poliomyelitis virus, which later helped in the development of polio vaccines. He also taught pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University and worked with the US Army’s virus and rickettsia lab.

 17 
María Luisa Ávila Agüero
(Infectious disease specialist)
María Luisa Ávila Agüero
2
Birthdate: January 30, 1961
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: San José, Costa Rica
 18 
Eliza Maria Mosher
(Physician)
Eliza Maria Mosher
8
Birthdate: October 2, 1846
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Cayuga County, New York, United States
Died: October 16, 1928