Hench, Philip

Hydroxycorticosterone)] (glucocorticoid, steroid) Tadeusz Reichstein (Poland/Switzerland) Edward Kendall Philip Hench (USA) Nobel Prize, Physiology/Medicine, 1950, glucocorticoids) [Cortisone (= 17-Hydroxy-11 -dehydrocorticosterone)] (glucocorticoid, steroid)... 

FIGURE 1.32 (From left to right) Charles Slocomb, Howard Polley, Edward C. Kendall, Philip S. Hench. 

Edward Calvin Kendall, Tadeus Reichstein, Philip Showalter Hench Hormones of the adrenal cortex, their structure and biological effects... 

If insulin revolutionized diabetes mellitus treatment, cortisone discovery was another revolution in inflammatory and arthritis management. The discovery of corticosteroids as a therapeutic can be linked to Thomas Addison (1793-1860), who made the connection between the adrenal glands and the rare Addison s disease in 1855.Edward C, Kendall (1886-1972) at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, USA) and Tadeus Reichstein (1897 -1996) at the University of Basel (Switzerland) independently isolated several hormones from the adrenal cortex. In 1948, Kendall and Philip S. Hench (1896-1965) demonstrated the successful treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis using cortisone. Kendall, Reichstein, and Hench were awarded the 1950 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for determining the structure and biological effects of adrenal cortex hormones. 

In 1948, Edward C. Kendall, who clarified steroid structures during the 1930s (see chapter 4), and Philip S. Hench (1896-1965), at the Mayo Clinic, demonstrated that the steroid hormone cortisone relieves symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Kendall, Hench, and Tadeus Reichstein would share the 1950 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. Although Lewis Sarett (1917-99) at Merck had accomplished a total synthesis of cortisone in 1944 (Woodward published a more elegant one in 1951), cortisone and its close derivatives would have remained extremely expensive were it not for the efforts of Percy L. Julian (1899-1975). As soon as he learned of the Mayo Clinic discovery, Julian developed a rapid, inexpensive synthesis of Reichstein s Substance S, also isolated ftom the adrenal cortex. This steroid is easily converted to dihydrocortisone and Julian s pathway remains today the major commercial route to this over-the-counter topical remedy for sunburn, mosquito bites, and other uncomfortable skin irritations. 

In 1950, along with Tadeusz Reichstein and Philip Showalter Hench, Edward Calvin Kendall (1886-1972) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries relating to the hormones of the adrenal cortex. 

Kendall, Edward Calvin (1886-1972) U.S. biochemist who studied the hormones produced by the outer zone (cortex) of the adrenal gland and, from his findings, synthesized cortisone. This led to the valuable range of corticosteroid drugs. In 1950, Kendall and his colleague, Philip Hench, were awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. 

Relchstein, Tadeus (1897-1996) Polish-born Swiss biochemist whose work led to the synthesis of vitamin C and an understanding of the chemistry of the natural corticosteroid hormones of the adrenal gland. He was able to isolate 29 natural steroids. This work led to the production of a range of steroid drugs of great medical value that have saved many lives. In 1950, he shared the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with Edward Kendall and Philip Hench. 

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