Albert Schatz, a PhD student, first isolated streptomycin on 19 October 1943 in the Rutgers University laboratory of his supervisor, Selman Waksman, in research funded by Merck and Co. Streptomycin became the first antibiotic cure for tuberculosis and remains on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Waksman alone received the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of streptomycin, and was later accused of playing down Schatz's role in work Schatz had done under Waksman's supervision; Schatz sued Waksman and the Rutgers Research and Endowment Foundation and won legal recognition as co-discoverer, with a settlement awarding Waksman 10 percent of royalties, Schatz 3 percent plus compensation for missed royalties, and the remaining laboratory staff, including Elizabeth Bugie, second author on the original paper but absent from the patent, sharing 7 percent.
Facts
Disputed
DiscovererOfficially credited to Selman Waksman; Albert Schatz, the graduate student who performed the isolation, later won legal recognition as co-discoverer. 1 Waksman received sole Nobel credit in 1952; a 1950 lawsuit established Schatz as legal co-discoverer with a share of royalties. See the linked dissent on this fact. Discovery Year Discovery Date Classification
Type/Classification Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Streptomycin
Karolinska awarded the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of streptomycin.
Source Wikipedia: Streptomycin
Discovered By
Performed the isolation as Waksman's graduate student; won legal recognition as co-discoverer in 1950. See the linked dissent.
Source Wikipedia: Streptomycin
Source Wikipedia: Streptomycin
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Streptomycin
WikipediaDiscoverers and date; The attribution dispute
Waksman was later accused of playing down the role of Schatz who did the work under his supervision.
- The attribution dispute
History section, first isolation
Streptomycin was first isolated on October 19, 1943, by Albert Schatz, a PhD student in the laboratory of Selman Abraham Waksman at Rutgers University in a research project funded by Merck and Co.
entity description, Discovery of Streptomycin
Streptomycin became the first antibiotic cure for tuberculosis and remains on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.
- Discovered By: Selman Waksman
- Discovered By: Albert Schatz
- Associated With: Antibiotics
- Associated With: Karolinska Institute
View the Source Dissenting Readings (1 dissenting reading)
Discoverer
Selman Waksman received sole credit for the discovery of streptomycin, including the entire 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, but Albert Schatz, the graduate student who performed the actual isolation on 19 October 1943 under Waksman's supervision, was second author on the founding paper and was accused of being deliberately written out of later credit. Schatz sued Waksman and the Rutgers Research and Endowment Foundation and won a 1950 settlement recognizing him as legal co-discoverer, with 3 percent of royalties plus compensation for royalties already paid to Waksman alone; Elizabeth Bugie, second author on the original publication, received only 0.2 percent and was left off the patent entirely. Whether Waksman's historical standing as sole discoverer, still the version many textbooks repeat, fairly reflects the documented laboratory and legal record is genuinely contested.
A dissenting reading, from Albert SchatzWikipedia: Streptomycin, Wikipedia
Essays About This Entity (1 essay)
Four Bacterial Discoveries, Four Fights Over Who Gets Credit
Discovery of Streptomycin, one of the four discoveries this essay groups together
Read the EssayFrequently Asked Questions
Did Selman Waksman discover streptomycin alone?
Waksman received sole credit and the entire 1952 Nobel Prize, but Albert Schatz, the graduate student who performed the actual isolation on 19 October 1943 under Waksman's supervision, sued and won a 1950 settlement recognizing him as legal co-discoverer.
Selman Waksman received sole credit for the discovery of streptomycin, including the entire 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, but Albert Schatz, the graduate student who performed the actual isolation on 19 October 1943 under Waksman's supervision, was second author on the founding paper and was accused of being deliberately written out of later credit. Schatz sued Waksman and the Rutgers Research and Endowment Foundation and won a 1950 settlement recognizing him as legal co-discoverer, with 3 percent of royalties plus compensation for royalties already paid to Waksman alone; Elizabeth Bugie, second author on the original publication, received only 0.2 percent and was left off the patent entirely. Whether Waksman's historical standing as sole discoverer, still the version many textbooks repeat, fairly reflects the documented laboratory and legal record is genuinely contested.
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