Edward Calvin Kendall | |
|---|---|
 Kendall in 1950 | |
| Born | (1886-03-08)March 8, 1886 |
| Died | May 4, 1972(1972-05-04) (aged 86) Princeton, New Jersey, United States |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Known for | Isolation ofthyroxine Discovery ofcortisone |
| Awards | Lasker Award(1949) Passano Foundation(1950) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine(1950) Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh(1951) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biochemistry |
| Institutions | Parke-Davis St. Luke's Hospital Mayo Clinic Princeton University |
Edward Calvin Kendall (March 8, 1886 – May 4, 1972) was an Americanbiochemist. In 1950, Kendall was awarded theNobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine along with Swiss chemistTadeusz Reichstein andMayo Clinic physicianPhilip S. Hench, for their work with the hormones of theadrenal glands. Kendall not only researched the adrenal glands, he also isolatedthyroxine, a hormone of thethyroid gland and worked with the team that crystallizedglutathione and identified its chemical structure.
Kendall was a biochemist at the Graduate School of theMayo Foundation at the time of the Nobel award. He received his education atColumbia University. After retiring from his job with the Mayo Foundation, Kendall joined the faculty atPrinceton University, where he remained until his death in 1972. Kendall Elementary School, inNorwalk is named for him.
Kendall was born inSouth Norwalk, Connecticut in 1886. He attendedColumbia University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1908, a Master of Science degree in Chemistry in 1909, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1910.[1]
After obtaining his Ph.D., his first job was in research forParke, Davis and Company, and his first task was to isolate the hormone associated with thethyroid gland.[2] He continued this research atSt. Luke's Hospital in New York until 1914.[1] He was appointed Head of the Biochemistry Section in the Graduate School of theMayo Foundation, and the following year he was appointed as the Director of the Division of Biochemistry.[1]
Kendall made several significant contributions to biochemistry and medicine. His most important discovery was the isolation ofthyroxine, although it was not the work for which he received the most accolades.[3] Along with associates, Kendall was involved with the isolation ofglutathione and determining its structure.[2] He also isolated several steroids from theadrenal gland cortex, one of which was initially called Compound E. Working withMayo Clinic physicianPhilip Showalter Hench, Compound E was used to treatrheumatoid arthritis. The compound was eventually namedcortisone.[1] In 1950, Kendall and Hench, along with Swiss chemistTadeus Reichstein were awarded the 1950Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for "their discoveries relating to the hormones of the adrenal cortex, their structure and biological effects."[4] His Nobel lecture focused on the basic research that led to his award, and was titled "The Development of Cortisone As a Therapeutic Agent."[5] As of the 2010 awards, Kendall and Hench were the only Nobel Laureates to be affiliated with Mayo Clinic.[6]
Kendall was elected to the United StatesNational Academy of Sciences in 1950,[7] and both theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences and theAmerican Philosophical Society in 1951.[8][9]
Kendall's career at Mayo ended in 1951, when he reached mandatory retirement age. He moved on toPrinceton University, where he was a visiting professor in the Department of Biochemistry.[1] He remained affiliated with Princeton until his death in 1972.[3] In addition to the Nobel Prize, Kendall received other major awards including theLasker Award, thePassano Foundation Award and theCameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh.[1][citation needed] Kendall received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement in 1966.[10] He was awarded honorary doctorates from theUniversity of Cincinnati,Western Reserve University,Williams College,Yale University,Columbia University,National University of Ireland, andGustavus Adolphus College.[2]
Kendall married Rebecca Kennedy in 1915, and they had four children.[1] He died in 1972 inPrinceton, New Jersey.[3] His wife died in 1973.
