Selman Waksman: Difference between revisions

'''Selman Abraham Waksman''' (July 22, 1888 – August 16, 1973) was a Russian-born, Jewish-American inventor, biochemist and microbiologist whose research into [[organic substance]]s—largely into [[organism]]s that live in [[soil]]—and their [[decomposition]] promoted the discovery of [[Streptomycin]], and several other [[antibiotic]]s. A professor of biochemistry and microbiology at [[Rutgers University]] for four decades, he discovered over twenty [[antibiotic]]s (a word which he coined) and introduced procedures that have led to the development of many others. The proceeds earned from the licensing of his patents funded a foundation for microbiological research, which established the [[Waksman Institute of Microbiology]] located on Rutgers University's [[Busch Campus]] in [[Piscataway, New Jersey]] (USA). In 1952 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in recognition "for his discovery of "streptomycin," the first antibiotic active against tuberculosis." Waksman was later accused of playing down the role of [[Albert Schatz (scientist)|Albert Schatz]], a PhD student who did the work under Waksman's supervision to discover streptomycin.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kingston|first=William|date=2004-07-01|title=Streptomycin, Schatz v. Waksman, and the balance of credit for discovery|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15270337|journal=Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences|volume=59|issue=3|pages=441–462|issn=0022-5045|pmid=15270337|doi=10.1093/jhmas/59.3.441}}</ref>