Tadeusz Reichstein

Tadeusz Reichstein (1897–1996) was a Polish-Swiss chemist who shared the 1950 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research on hormones of the adrenal cortex.

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Edward Calvin Kendall: An American biochemist who isolated cortisone and shared the 1950 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Kendall shared the Nobel Prize with Reichstein for work on adrenal cortex hormones.
Adrenal cortex: The outer region of the adrenal gland that produces steroid hormones regulating metabolism, salt balance, and stress responses. It was the source tissue for the hormones Reichstein investigated.
Corticosteroid: A steroid hormone or drug that acts on glucocorticoid or mineralocorticoid pathways. Reichstein’s discoveries helped open the path from adrenal compounds to corticosteroid medicines.
1950 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: The Nobel Prize awarded to Philip S. Hench, Edward C. Kendall, and Tadeusz Reichstein for discoveries concerning adrenal cortex hormones. The award recognized Reichstein’s contribution alongside clinical and biochemical advances.
Philip S. Hench: An American physician who demonstrated cortisone’s therapeutic effects in rheumatoid arthritis and shared the 1950 Nobel Prize. Hench completed the Nobel-winning trio with Reichstein and Kendall.
Cortisone: A corticosteroid hormone and medication that reduces inflammation and suppresses immune activity. Reichstein synthesized cortisone as part of his work on adrenal steroids.
Rheumatoid arthritis: A chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of joints and can damage other tissues. Cortisone’s clinical effects in this disease brought adrenal hormone research into medical practice.
Endocrinology: The study of hormones, hormone-producing organs, and their effects on the body. Reichstein’s steroid discoveries became part of the field’s account of adrenal function.
Hans Selye: A Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist who developed the concept of the general adaptation syndrome. Selye’s stress research helped establish the physiological importance of adrenal hormones.
Cortisol: The principal glucocorticoid hormone in humans, regulating metabolism and helping coordinate stress responses. Its chemical relationship to cortisone illuminates the steroid structures Reichstein studied.