Foregoers

Albert Szent-Györgyi (1893-1986) was born in Budapest, and obtained his diploma in medicine in 1917. For more than 10 years he toured the world, and at Cambridge he obtained his Ph. D. in chemistry.

After returning home he took up a professorial position and headed a department at the University of Szeged, where shortly he set up a biological research laboratory.

During experiments on cell respiration he succeeded in isolating a reducing agent from plants such as oranges and lemons, which blocked the effect of the peroxidase-type enzymes. The paprika produced around Szeged was an ample source for its production.

In 1937 he received the Nobel Prize in physiology and medical science for “discoveries in the area of biological combustion processes, particularly in regard to vitamin C, and the fumaric acid catalysis”.