Emil Theodor Kocher

Emil Theodor Kocher was born in Switzerland on 25 August 1841 and trained as a physician at a time when operating meant gambling with sepsis and death. He brought aseptic technique and methodical science to the surgeon's trade, then turned his attention to the thyroid — a gland most colleagues considered too dangerous to touch. His systematic work on thyroid physiology, pathology, and surgical technique dropped operative mortality below 1%, transforming a near-certain death sentence into a survivable procedure. In 1909 he became the first Swiss citizen and the first surgeon to receive the Nobe…