The Nobel and The Deaf

By Dr. Harry Lang

The heritage of Deaf people and the Nobel Prize is a proud one. “The Nobel” is a famous prize awarded by scientists from around the world. Many Deaf people have been considered for a Nobel Prize—and two Deaf scientists have won it.

Nicolle, Lice, and Typhus

Charles Nicolle was the first Deaf person to win a Nobel Prize. Nicolle won the Nobel Prize in 1928. He won it for proving that lice spread typhus.

Typhus is caused by bacteria. People with typhus run a high fever and develop a rash. About 30 percent of them die. Lice are tiny animals that make their homes in the skin of human beings. They bite through the skin and live by sucking blood. If they carry the typhus germ, they deposit it directly into the blood stream.

People get lice—and typhus—when they live in dirty and crowded conditions. In World War I, thousands of soldiers got typhus. More Russian soldiers died from it than from bullet wounds. In the United States and countries where living conditions are clean, few people fall sick with typhus. After Nicolle found what caused the disease, people were more prepared to fight it.

Cornforth and Cholesterol

In the old days, doctors were mystified by heart attacks. They could not understand why men and women who seemed so healthy would suddenly feel a pain in their chest—and then drop dead.

Now Doctors know that sometimes heart attacks are caused by cholesterol, a chemical that resembles fat, which builds up in veins and arteries, and may prevent the circulation of the blood.

John Cornforth, the second Deaf person to receive the Nobel Prize, discovered the molecular structure of cholesterol—what the pieces of the cholesterol molecule are and how they fit together. Cornforth won the Nobel Prize in 1974 for his discovery. Later, he was knighted as a Commander of the British Empire.

Almost Nobel Winners

Other Deaf scientists have been nominated for the Nobel Prize. “Near misses” include Thomas Edison and Henrietta Swan Leavitt. Edison invented the phonograph, light bulb, electrical generators, and rudimentary motion pictures. He holds more patents than any other American scientist. Leavitt, an astronomer, mapped thousands of stars in Earth’s skies. In the process, she discovered 2,400 variable stars—stars whose brightness varied—doubling the number of variable stars known at that time.

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