The curious case of the 1960 Nobel Prize to Burnet and Medawar

Immunology
Arthur M Silverstein

Abstract

The 1960 Nobel Prize was awarded to Macfarlane Burnet and Peter Medawar for immunological tolerance. The Nobel Archives reveal that the two were never nominated together by anyone; Burnet had repeatedly been nominated for his virology studies, and the Medawar group (including Rupert Billingham and Leslie Brent) had been nominated independently for their transplantation work. A review of the 1950s literature suggests that tolerance had not yet, by 1960, reached the level of acceptance and acclaim in the immunological community to appear to justify the award. Burnet probably should have received the Prize for his virus work, and perhaps also for his Clonal Selection Theory, whereas Billingham and Brent should have shared in a Prize with Medawar for transplantation. If a Prize were to be given for tolerance, most agree that Ray Owen should have shared in it, for his work on cattle chimerism. It is suggested that the 1960 Nobel Prize to Burnet and Medawar for immunological tolerance may have been given for the wrong reasons and to the wrong associates.

References

Sep 11, 1970·Science·P Bretscher, M Cohn
Mar 1, 1994·Immunology Today·A I Tauber
Jan 7, 1998·Immunological Reviews·A M Silverstein, N R Rose
Jul 27, 2000·Seminars in Immunology·R E Langman, M Cohn
Oct 3, 1953·Nature·R E BILLINGHAMP B MEDAWAR
Mar 22, 1957·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·M F WOODRUFF
Jan 1, 1957·Annual Review of Medicine·D W TALMAGE
Jun 19, 1959·Science·J LEDERBERG
Feb 3, 1961·Science·F M BURNET
Feb 3, 1961·Science·P B MEDAWAR
Oct 17, 1959·British Medical Journal·M BURNET
Jul 1, 1964·The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science·M HUMPHREY, C OUNSTED
Jan 24, 1955·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·R E BILLINGHAMP B MEDAWAR
Mar 1, 1949·The Australian Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Science·F M BURNET
Nov 13, 2008·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Charles Silverstein

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Citations

Dec 24, 2015·Immunology·Leslie Brent
May 2, 2016·Survey of Ophthalmology·Curtis E Margo, Lynn E Harman
Jun 2, 2009·Molecular Immunology·Marina BottoFrancesco Tedesco
Aug 29, 2018·Transfusion·Robert E Wenk
Mar 23, 2019·Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics·Willem van Eden
May 4, 2021·Frontiers in Immunology·Jeng-Chang Chen

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