Albert Schatz was an American microbiologist who, as a doctoral student in Selman Waksman's Rutgers University laboratory, isolated the antibiotic streptomycin on 19 October 1943, the first drug effective against tuberculosis. Waksman's laboratory received sole public credit and Waksman alone received the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery; Schatz sued and in 1950 won a court settlement legally recognizing him as co-discoverer and awarding him a share of the patent royalties, a dispute this atlas already records as a debated fact on the Discovery of Streptomycin entity.
Facts
Albert Schatz
Filter Results1 entry
Connections
Associated With
Schatz was Waksman's doctoral student and isolated streptomycin in Waksman's laboratory; see Dissent 721 on the Discovery of Streptomycin entity for the credit dispute between them.
Source Selman Waksman (Wikipedia)
Discoveries
Performed the isolation as Waksman's graduate student; won legal recognition as co-discoverer in 1950. See the linked dissent.
Source Wikipedia: Streptomycin
Source Streptomycin (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Albert Schatz (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia1943 isolation; Credit dispute with Waksman; 1950 lawsuitView the Source Wikipedia: Streptomycin
Selman Waksman (Wikipedia)
Streptomycin (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDiscoveries: Streptomycin, History sectionQuote, Discoveries: Streptomycin, History section
First isolated on October 19, 1943, by Albert Schatz
Essays About This Entity (1 essay)
Four Bacterial Discoveries, Four Fights Over Who Gets Credit
Albert Schatz, who isolated streptomycin and sued for co-discoverer credit
Read the EssayFrequently Asked Questions
If Albert Schatz isolated streptomycin, why did Selman Waksman win the Nobel Prize for it?
The Nobel went to Waksman alone in 1952, but a 1950 settlement legally recognized Schatz as co-discoverer.
Schatz isolated streptomycin on 19 October 1943 as a doctoral student in Waksman's laboratory at Rutgers University. Public credit went to Waksman's laboratory, and the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Waksman alone. Schatz then sued, and a 1950 court settlement legally recognized him as co-discoverer and gave him a share of the patent royalties. The settlement did not change the Nobel award, so the prize and the legal record of the discovery still disagree.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.