Tadeusz Reichstein

Tadeusz Reichstein was born in Poland on 20 July 1897 and later became a Swiss citizen, building his career in chemistry across borders. His research zeroed in on the adrenal cortex, where he succeeded in isolating cortisone — a breakthrough that opened the door to steroid therapy and transformed medicine's ability to manage conditions once considered untreatable. The Nobel committee recognized him in 1950 for that achievement. He continued working for decades after, dying in Switzerland on 1 August 1996 at ninety-nine.