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Selman Waksman

Soil Sciences

Selman Abraham Waksman was a Russian-born American biochemist and microbiologist whose research into the decomposition of organisms that live in soil enabled the discovery of streptomycin and several other antibiotics, work for which he won the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. A professor of biochemistry and microbiology at Rutgers University for four decades, he introduced the modern sense of the word antibiotic and the procedures that led to the discovery of many others, and the proceeds from his patents funded the Waksman Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Birth Year
1888 1
Death Year
1973 1
Nationality
American 1
Defining Contribution
His research into the decomposition of soil-dwelling organisms enabled the discovery of streptomycin and several other antibiotics, for which he won the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. 1
FAQs

Who deserves credit for discovering streptomycin?

Waksman received the Nobel Prize, but his student Albert Schatz won a settlement naming him co-discoverer.

Selman Waksman won the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the soil microbe research that led to streptomycin, and his Rutgers team discovered several antibiotics. Streptomycin was isolated from the soil organism Streptomyces griseus and found effective against tuberculosis by his graduate student Albert Schatz. Schatz contested the credit, which led to litigation in 1950. Waksman and Rutgers settled out of court, and the settlement gave Schatz financial remuneration and legal and scientific credit as co-discoverer of streptomycin.
Connections

Works In

Agricultural Microbiology, Disciplines
Source Selman Waksman (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Nationality

Russian Empire

Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

Soviet Union

Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

Ukraine

Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

United States

Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

Sources
1. Selman Waksman (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section, paragraph 1
    whose research into the decomposition of organisms that live in soil enabled the discovery of streptomycin and several other antibiotics
  • Lead section, opening parenthetical (birth)
    July 22 [O.S. July 8] 1888
  • Lead section, opening parenthetical (death)
    August 16, 1973
  • Summary description, opening clause
    Selman Abraham Waksman was a Russian-born American inventor, biochemist and microbiologist
  • Summary description, relative clause
    whose research into the decomposition of organisms that live in soil enabled the discovery of streptomycin and several other antibiotics
  • Works In: Agricultural Microbiology, Lead paragraph, field of work
    Selman Abraham Waksman (22 July [O.S. 10 July] 1888, August 16, 1973) was a Russian-born American inventor, biochemist and microbiologist, whose research into the decomposition of organisms that live in soil enabled the discovery of streptomycin and several other antibiotics.
  • In Group: Soil Microbiology Scientists, Lead
    Selman Abraham Waksman (22 July [O.S. 10 July] 1888, August 16, 1973) was a Russian-born American inventor, biochemist and microbiologist, whose research into the decomposition of organisms that live in soil enabled the discovery of streptomycin and several other antibiotics.
View the Source
Wikidata: Selman Waksman
Wikidata Q232308, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
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