Wisconsin History Day By Day

Related Web Sites:
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1934

William P. Murphy

William P. Murphy


Read More About It

"The Medical Millennium: 1000 Pioneers Who Have Contributed to the Development of Medicine Over the Last 1000 Years" by H.S.J. Lee

"The Cambridge Illustrated History of Medicine" by Roy Porter


Vocabulary:

physiology
pernicious
anaemia


Interesting Fact:

Murphy was honored as a Nobel laureate on a stamp issued by the Maldive Islands in 1995.


Study Questions:

  • What other famous scientist attended Stoughton High School but grew up in McFarland?
  • What was discovered as a successful therapy for anemia?
  • Where are the Maldive Islands located?


    U.S. historical events that occurred on February 6:

    1788: Massachusetts ratifies the U.S. Constitution, the sixth state to do so.
    1895: Babe Ruth, the home run king dethroned by Hank Aaron, is born.



    • February 6

    Noble prize winner William Parry Murphy was born on Feb. 6, 1892, in Stoughton, where he attended public school. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon in 1914. Beginning in 1924, Murphy was an assistant in medicine at Harvard, where he stayed for the rest of his career. He was awarded the Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1934 for his work on pernicious and other forms of anaemia. He shared the award with fellow scientists George Whipple and George Minot. Murphy died on Oct. 9, 1987.

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