Selman Waksman

Selman Abraham Waksman (Ukrainian Зельман Абрахам Ваксман, scientific transliteration Zel'man Abracham Vaksman; * 8 ​​Julijul / July 20 1888greg in Nowa Pryluka, province Kiev, Russian Empire, .. † August 16, 1973 in Woods Hole, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States) was an American biochemist. Waksman the first to use the term antibiotic. From soil bacteria he isolated the antibiotic and cytostatic drug actinomycin 1940 A and 1943 the antibiotic streptomycin.

For the discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic against tuberculosis, he received in 1952 the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In fact, the substance was in 1943 by the students working in his lab, Albert Schatz ( 1920-2005 ), isolated.

Biography

Selman Waksman was born as the son of Jewish parents in what was then the Russian Empire. Due to the repressive political situation and the rampant anti-Semitism in Russia, he emigrated in 1910 to the United States shortly after he had passed his Abitur in Odessa at the Fifth High School. Six years later he became an American citizen. In the United States, he attended the Rutgers College (now Rutgers University) in New Jersey, where he earned 1915 Bachelor of Science ( B.Sc.) in Agriculture. The following year he acquired yet the degree of Master of Science ( M.Sc.). There he worked in the laboratory of Jacob G. Lipman and research on soil bacteria. Waksman then became a research associate at the University of California, Berkeley, where he in 1918 the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject acquired biochemistry. Then he worked at the invitation of Lipman back to the Faculty of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, where he was appointed associate professor in 1925 and professor in 1930. In 1940 he became director of the Institute of Microbiology. In the laboratory under his direction, many antibiotics have been discovered, including actinomycin (1940 ), Clavacin, streptothricin, streptomycin (1944 ), Grisein, neomycin (1949 ), Fradicin, candicidin, candidin. The streptomycin was the first antibiotic discovered in 1944, showed the efficacy against tuberculosis. From Waksman also the term was coined " antibiotic ". In 1958 he retired. He died in 1973 and is on the Crowell Cemetery in Woods Hole, Barnstable County, Massachusetts buried.

For his scientific work, he has received numerous honors, including the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1952 and the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1948. The Keio University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1953 the first in its history. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Légion d' honneur. The National Academy of Sciences award in his honor for outstanding scientific achievements in the field of microbiology Selman A. Waksman Award in the Microbiology.

Dispute about the first discovery of streptomycin

Waksman had occupied himself early to the study of streptomycetes. In 1952 he received the Nobel Prize, as it was called in the award ceremony, " for his discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic against tuberculosis ", but therefore also the numerous other works have been awarded in the field of antibiotic research. There ensued a dispute with a former doctoral student of Waksman, Albert Schatz, who claimed the first discovery of its own. It was also about the rights of patent revenue of streptomycin. Waksman and the Rutgers University denied initially vehemently a significant proportion of treasure at the discovery, but later had to admit that this was at least partly right. In an out of court settlement treasure resigned financially and were in an official statement Waksman and Schatz both cited as the discoverer of streptomycin.