author
Edward C. Kendall
Known for helping unlock the chemistry of the adrenal cortex, this American biochemist played a major role in the work that led to cortisone and a Nobel Prize. His research helped connect laboratory chemistry with treatments that changed modern medicine.
1 Audiobook
John Deere's Steel Plow
by Edward C. Kendall
About the author
Born in South Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1886, Edward C. Kendall studied chemistry at Columbia University before beginning a career in biochemical research. He became closely associated with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he carried out the work that made him internationally known.
Kendall is best remembered for his studies of hormones produced by the adrenal cortex. His chemical research helped isolate important compounds, including the substance later known as cortisone, and this work became especially significant when it was linked to successful treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. In 1950, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Philip S. Hench and Tadeus Reichstein for discoveries relating to adrenal cortex hormones, their structure, and their biological effects.
He also contributed to other areas of biochemistry, including work on the thyroid hormone thyroxine. Kendall died in 1972, but his career remains a clear example of how careful laboratory science can lead to major medical advances.