Albert Szent-Györgyi

Biography

Albert Imre Szent-Györgyi [ a ] de Nagyrápolt ( Hungarian : nagyrápolti Szent-Györgyi Albert Imre ; September 16, 1893 – October 22, 1986) was a Hungarian biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937. [ 5 ] He is credited with first isolating vitamin C and discovering many of the components and reactions of the citric acid cycle and the molecular basis of muscle contraction . Szent-Györgyi was born in Budapest , Kingdom of Hungary , on September 16, 1893. [ 6 ] His father, Miklós Szent-Györgyi, was a landowner, born in Marosvásárhely , Transylvania (today Târgu Mureş, Romania ), a Calvinist , and could trace his ancestry back to 1608 when Sámuel, a Calvinist predicant , was ennobled. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] At the time of Szent-Györgyi's birth, being of the nobility was considered important and created opportunities that otherwise were not available. [ 9 ] (Miklós Szent-Györgyi's parents were Imre Szent-Györgyi and Mária Csiky). [ 10 ] His mother, Jozefina, a Roman Catholic, was a daughter of József Lenhossék and Anna Bossányi. [ 11 ] Jozefina was a sister of Mihály Lenhossék ; both of these men were Professors of Anatomy at the Eötvös Loránd University . His family included three generations of scientists. [ 12 ] Music was important in the Lenhossék family. His mother Jozefina prepared to become an opera singer and auditioned for Gustav Mahler, then a conductor at the Budapest Opera . He advised her to marry instead, since her voice was not enough. Albert himself was good at the piano, while his brother Pál became a professional violinist. Szent-Györgyi began his studies at the Semmelweis University in 1911, [ 12 ] and then began research in his uncle's anatomy lab. His studies were interrupted in 1914 to serve as an army medic in World War I. In 1916, disgusted with the war, Szent-Györgyi shot himself in the arm, [ 13 ] claimed to be wounded from enemy fire, and was sent home on medical leave. He was then able to finish his medical education and receiv Fields: Physiology, biochemistry Education: Semmelweis University University of Cambridge

About the Lasker Award

The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1946 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, founded by advertising pioneer Albert Lasker and his wife Mary Woodard Lasker (a medical research activist). The awards are sometimes referred to as "America's Nobels."

Quick Facts

• Award: Lasker Award - Basic Medical Research
• Added: 2026-02-07
• Source: Wikipedia
• Established: 1946
• Presented by: Lasker Foundation

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