Japanese, US medical heroes rewarded
ONE IS a heart saver, the other a smallpox eradicator.
Professor Akira Endo and Dr Donald Ainslie Henderson are the two legendary scientists winning this year’s Prince Mahidol Awards for their outstanding achievements in saving billions of human lives.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhon, as the representative of His Majesty the King, presided over the awards ceremony at the Chakri Throne Hall in the Grand Palace yesterday evening.
Endo, a Japanese biochemist, discovered the first anti-cholesterol statin called compactin, which he isolated from the fungus Penicillium citrinun citrinum in 1976.
Henderson, an American physician and epidemiologist, is noted for leading the World Health Organisation’s Smallpox Eradication Campaign during the 1960s and 1970s. It came to a successful conclusion in 1977 when the last case was reported in Somalia.
Endo’s award was in the field of medicine, while Henderson’s was in the field of public health.
The Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, of which the Princess is the president, was established on January 1, 1992 in commemoration of the centennial birthday of His Royal Highness Prince Mihidol of Songkhla, the father of the currently serving monarch.
The award is bestowed annually to individuals or institutions “in the field of medicine for mankind” and for outstanding contributions to the field of public health for the well-being of the people.
Endo earned a PhD in biochemistry at Tohoku University in 1966. From 1957-78, he worked as a biochemist at Sankyo Co. He invented the first statin drug, giving birth to the world of cholesterol reducers that could save people from coronary heart disease as well as other major vascular diseases.
His discovery shifted the paradigm in coronary heart disease from unpreventable to preventable.
Henderson received his undergraduate degree in 1950 from Oberin Oberlin College in Ohio and his MD in 1954 from the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine in New York state.
The Smallpox Eradication Cam-paign under Henderson not only saved billions of lives but also set an example of how to tackle other health problems more effectively.
Endo came to Thailand with his wife Orie and daughter Chiga Matsuda for the presentation, while Henderson attended with his wife Nana and son Douglas. Endo and Henderson were honoured with medals, certificates and cash prizes of US$100,000 (Bt3.25 million).
