Nobel Lectures in Physiology or Medicine Vol. 6 : 1981-1990

The quality of life for millions of people all over the globe has been improved by the work of diligent biologists and doctors working in the many branches of life science. An improved knowledge of how the body functions at the genetic, cellular, physiological and behavioural levels and a greater understanding of disease and pharmacology have resulted in a reduction in human suffering. The way is being paved for the effective treatment of some of the greatest health problems of the late 20th century - cancer, AIDs and diseases caused by parasites. These volumes are collections of the Nobel Lectures delivered by the laureates, together with their biographies, portraits and the presentation speeches for the periods 1971-1980 and 1980-1990. Each Nobel Lecture is based on the work for which the laureate was awarded the prize. New biographical data of the laureate are also included. These volumes of inspiring lectures by outstanding scientists should be of interest to every keen student, teacher and professor of biological and medical sciences as well as those in related fields. During the period 1981-1990 important research was recognized in areas as diverse as visual information processing, monoclonal antibodies, pharmacology, molecular biology and transplantation. Below is a full list of the Nobel laureates during this period with a description of the work for which they were awarded their prizes: (1981) R.W. Sperry - for his discoveries concerning the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres; D.H. Hubel and T.N. Wiesel - for their discoveries concerning information processing in the visual system; (1982) S.K. Bergstrom, B.I. Samuelsson and J.R. Vane - for their discoveries concerning prostaglandins and related biologically active substances; (1983) B. McClintock - for her discovery of mobile genetic elements; (1984) N.K. Jerne, G.J.F. Kohler and C. Milstein - for theories concerning the specificity in development and control of the immune system and the discovery of the principle for production of monoclonal antibodies. (1985) M.S. Brown amd J.L. Goldstein - for their discoveries concerning the regulation of cholesterol metabolism; (1986) S. Cohen and R. Levi-Montalcini - for their discoveries of growth factors; (1987) S. Tonegawa - for his discovery of the genetic principle for generation of antibody diversity; (1988) J.W. Black, G.B. Elion and G.H. Hitchings - for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment; (1989) J.M Bishop and H.E. Varmus - for their discovery of the cellular origin of retroviral oncogenes; (1990) J.E. Murray and E.D. Thomas - for their discoveries concerning organ and cell transplantation in the treatment of human disease.