Henrik Dam
Facts
Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.
Henrik Carl Peter Dam
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1943
Born: 21 February 1895, Copenhagen, Denmark
Died: 17 April 1976, Copenhagen, Denmark
Affiliation at the time of the award: Polytechnic Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
Prize motivation: "for his discovery of vitamin K."
Henrik Dam and Edward Doisy received their Nobel Prize one year later, in 1944.
Prize share: 1/2
Work
In addition to carbohydrates, proteins and fats, our bodies need vitamins to function well. When Henrik Dam conducted experiments on chickens that were given food with a low fat content, he noted that they suffered from bleeding that took a long time to stop. In 1934 he showed that an addition of hempseed counteracted the bleeding and concluded that the seed contained a substance, vitamin K, that was needed for the blood to coagulate. This knowledge became especially important in treating bleeding among small children.
Learn more
Nobel Prizes 2021
Their work and discoveries range from the Earth’s climate and our sense of touch to efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.
See them all presented here.
