Kocher, Emil Theodor (1841-1917)

Swiss surgeon who was awarded a Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1909 for his work on the physiology, pathology, and surgery of the thyroid gland. He was professor of clinical surgery at the University of Berne for 45 years.

Kocher was born in Berne and graduated from the university there. He continued his studies in Berlin, London (under Joseph Lister), Paris, and Vienna before returning to Berne to head the University Surgical Centre in 1872. After removing the thyroid gland completely from many patients, he observed with horror that the operation left many patients afflicted with cretinism. To prevent this, he left a portion of the thyroid intact to act as a continuing source of the vital hormone thyroxine. His work gave rise to many further studies of the thyroid and prompted a search for therapeutic treatment. He is also known for his early work in the application of asepsis, for devising a method of setting dislocated shoulders, and for his skill in brain, stomach, and gall bladder surgery.