Albert Szent-Györgyi

Albert Szent-Györgyi
FOTO:Fortepan — ID 74535: Adományozó/Donor: Semmelweis Egyetem Levéltára. archiv · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Albert Szent-Györgyi
Birth date	September 16, 1893
Birth place	Budapest, Austria-Hungary
Death date	October 22, 1986
Death place	Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States
Nationality	Hungarian American
Fields	Biochemistry, Pharmacology

Albert Szent-Györgyi was a renowned Hungarian American biochemist and pharmacologist who made significant contributions to the field of biochemistry, particularly in the discovery of vitamin C. He is best known for his work on the biological oxidation process and the isolation of vitamin C from paprika. Szent-Györgyi's research was influenced by the work of Otto Heinrich Warburg and Hans Krebs, and he collaborated with Joseph Erlanger and Herbert Evans. His discoveries paved the way for further research in the field of nutrition and public health, as seen in the work of Linus Pauling and George Wald.

● Early Life and Education

Szent-Györgyi was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary, to a family of nobility. He studied medicine at the University of Budapest and later at the University of Berlin, where he was influenced by the work of Emil Fischer and Walther Nernst. Szent-Györgyi's education was also shaped by his time at the University of Cambridge, where he worked with Frederick Gowland Hopkins and Archibald Hill. He received his Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Cambridge in 1927, and later worked at the University of Groningen and the University of Leiden.

● Career

Szent-Györgyi began his career as a researcher at the Institute of Medical Chemistry in Szeged, Hungary, where he worked with Fritz Lipmann and Hans Adolf Krebs. He later became a professor of medical chemistry at the University of Szeged and was influenced by the work of Carl Cori and Gerty Cori. In 1947, Szent-Györgyi moved to the United States and became a researcher at the National Institutes of Health and later at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, where he worked with Barbara McClintock and James Watson. He also collaborated with Jonas Salk and Selman Waksman on various projects.

● Research and Discoveries

Szent-Györgyi's most notable discovery was the isolation of vitamin C from paprika in 1928. He also discovered the hexuronic acid and identified it as vitamin C, which was later confirmed by Norman Haworth and Paul Karrer. Szent-Györgyi's work on the biological oxidation process led to a deeper understanding of the role of enzymes in cellular respiration, as seen in the work of David Keilin and Otto Meyerhof. His research also explored the relationship between vitamin C and scurvy, and he collaborated with Harold Himsworth and Alexander Fleming on related projects.

● Awards and Recognition

Szent-Györgyi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937 for his discovery of vitamin C and its role in biological oxidation. He also received the Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh in 1946 and the Lasker Award in 1954. Szent-Györgyi was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he received honorary degrees from Harvard University, Yale University, and University of Oxford.

● Personal Life

Szent-Györgyi was married to Cornelia Demény and later to Márta Borbíró. He had two daughters, Cornelia Szent-Györgyi and Zsuzsa Szent-Györgyi. Szent-Györgyi was known for his strong anti-communist views and was a vocal critic of the Hungarian Communist Party. He was also a supporter of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and worked with Imre Nagy and János Kádár.

● Legacy

Szent-Györgyi's discovery of vitamin C and his work on the biological oxidation process have had a lasting impact on the field of biochemistry and nutrition. His research paved the way for further studies on the role of vitamins and minerals in human health, as seen in the work of Roger Williams and Linus Pauling. Szent-Györgyi's legacy continues to inspire new generations of researchers, including James Rothman and Randy Schekman, and his work remains an important part of the history of biochemistry and medicine, as recognized by the National Institutes of Health and the American Chemical Society. Category:Hungarian American scientists