Vision and the Nobel Prize / A visão e Prêmio Nobel

ABSTRACT The Nobel Prize is the world's foremost honor for scientific advances in medicine and other areas. Founded by Alfred Nobel, the prizes have been awarded annually since 1901. We reviewed the literature on persons who have won or competed for this prize in subjects related to vision and ophthalmology. The topics were divided into vision physiology, diagnostic and therapeutic methods, disease mechanism, and miscellaneous categories. Allvar Gullstrand is the only ophthalmologist to win a Nobel Prize; he is also the only one to receive it for work in ophthalmology. Other ophthalmologists that have been nominated were Hjalmar Schiötz (tonometer), Karl Koller (topical anesthesia), and Jules Gonin (retinal detachment). Other scientists have won the prize for eye-related research: Ragnar Granit, Haldan Hartline and George Wald (chemistry and physiology of vision), and David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel (processing in the visual system). Peter Medawar is the only person born in Brazil to have won the Nobel Prize.

RESUMO O Prêmio Nobel é a principal honraria do mundo para avanços científicos em medicina e outras áreas. Fundada por Alfred Nobel, os prêmios são concedidos anualmente desde 1901. Revisamos a literatura sobre pessoas que ganharam ou competiram por esse prêmio em assuntos relacionados à visão e oftalmologia. Os tópicos foram divididos em fisiologia da visão, métodos diagnósticos e terapêuticos, mecanismo de doenças e variados. Allvar Gullstrand não é o único oftalmologista a ganhar um Nobel, porém é o único a recebê-lo por contribuições na oftalmologia. Outros oftalmologistas foram nomeados: Hjalmar Schiötz (tonometro), Karl Koller (anestesia tópica) e Jules Gonin (descolamento da retina). Outros cientistas ganharam o prêmio com pesquisas relacionadas à visão: Ragnar Granit, Haldan Hartline e George Wald (química e fisiologia da visão); David Hubel e Torsten Wiesel (processamento no sistema visual). Peter Medawar é a única pessoa que nasceu no Brasil a ganhar o prêmio.

Psychology and the Nobel Prize / Psicología y el premio nobel

The Nobel Prize is considered the utmost global recognition bestowed upon a scientist, writer, or peace promoter. The Nobel Prizes have been granted since 1901 in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. Later on, in 1969, the Prize in Economic Sciences was established. A Nobel Prize in psychology does not exist, nor is there one in mathematics, ecology, or other disciplines. Nevertheless, a great number of psychologists have received the award. The discussion about who can be considered a psychologist is determined by three categories: (1) the person that received an undergraduate degree in psychology, (2) a person that holds a Ph.D. in psychology, and (3) someone trained in a discipline different from psychology whose contributions are of great relevance to this field. Presented here is a brief biography of some of the psychologists (in any of the three categories) that have received the Nobel Prize. It is also indicated that there are other somewhat similar awards received by psychologists, such as the ones bestowed by the APA, the IUPsyS, and the Grawemeyer Prize in Psychology. It is possible in the future that more psychologists will receive the Nobel Prize in one of its categories.

El Premio Nobel es considerado como el máximo reconocimiento a nivel mundial que puede recibir un científico, un escritor o un promotor de la paz. Los Premios Nobel se otorgan desde 1901, en los campos de la física, química, fisiología o medicina, literatura y paz. Más adelante en 1969 se creó el Premio Nobel en ciencias económicas. No existe un Premio Nobel en psicología y tampoco en matemáticas, ecología y otras disciplinas. Sin embargo, un cierto número de psicólogos ha recibido el Premio Nobel. Se discute acerca de quién puede definirse como psicólogo y se presentan tres categorias: (1) una persona que recibió una formación de pregrado en psicología, (2) una que recibió un Ph.D. en psicología, (3) alguien que realizó contribuciones de gran relevancia a la psicología aunque su entrenamiento haya sido en otra disciplina. Se presenta una breve sinopsis de la vida y obra de algunos de los psicólogos (de cualquiera de las tres categorías) que han recibido el Premio Nobel. Se indica que existen otros premios relativamente similares como los que otorga la IUPsyS, la APA y el Premio Grawemeyer en Psicología. Es posible que en el futuro más psicólogos reciban el Premio Nobel en alguna de sus categorías.