Foregoers

Robert Bárány (1876-1936) was honored with the 1914 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medical Science „for his work on the physiology and pathology of the vestibular apparatus”. In a speech he delivered upon receiving the Nobel prize in the discipline of otology, Bárány’s professional line, half a century later, George von Békésy spoke about the historical continuity: ‘As you may know, the first recipient of the Nobel prize in otology, Robert Bárány, also came from Hungary. I do not think that this is pure accident. Otology in Hungary had very high standards and there was a genuine interest in it.’ Békésy referred to Endre Hegyes as their common precursor.