Attributing Excellence in Medicine discusses the aura around the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. It analyzes the social processes and contingent factors leading to recognition and reputation in science and medicine. This volume will help the reader to better understand the dynamics of the attribution of excellence throughout the 20th century. Contributors are Massimiano Bucchi, Fabio De Sio, Jacalyn Duffin, Heiner Fangerau, Thorsten Halling, Nils Hansson, David S. Jones, Gustav Källstrand, Ulrich Koppitz, Pauline Mattsson, Katarina Nordqvist, Scott H. Podolsky, Thomas Schlich, and Sven Widmalm.

The Nobel Prize, as founded in Alfred Nobel's will, was the first truly international prize. There is no other award with the same global scope and mission. The Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace, and the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences (from 1969) have not only captured the most significant contributions to the progress of mankind, they also constitute distinct markers of the major trends in their respective areas. The main reason for the prestige of the Prize today is, however, the lasting importance of the names on the list of Laureates and their contributions to human development. In celebration of the centennial of the Nobel Prize in 2001, this book offers a clear perspective on the development of human civilization over the past hundred years. The book serves to present the major trends and developments and also provide information about the life and philosophy of Alfred Nobel, the history of the Nobel Foundation, and the procedure for nominating and selecting Nobel Laureates. Contents:Introduction (M Sohlman)Life and Philosophy of Alfred Nobel (T Frängsmyr)The Nobel Foundation: A Century of Growth and Change (B Lemmel)Nomination and Selection of the Nobel Laureates (B Lemmel)The Nobel Prize in Physics (E B Karlsson)The Nobel Prize in Chemistry: The Development of Modern Chemistry (B G Malmström & B Andersson)The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (J Lindsten & N Ringertz)The Nobel Prize in Literature (K Espmark)The Nobel Peace Prize (G Lundestad)The Sveriges Riksbank (Bank of Sweden) Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1969–2000 (A Lindbeck) Readership: General. Keywords:Reviews:“This wonderful book gives a comprehensive review of the Nobel prizes awarded since 1901 … Reading the book is like reading a compressed history of humankind in the twentieth century. It shows how by and large the Nobel prizes have indeed tracked the epoch-making events in this turbulent century.”M Veltman Nobel Laureate in Physics (1999), Emeritus Professor of Physics University of Michigan, Ann Arbor