Physiology or Medicine for 1997-Animation

8. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Nobel Laureate Carleton Gajdusek studied a disease called kuru which spread among the Fore people in New Guinea through cannibalistic rituals. Kuru means shivering or trembling in the Fore language. The picture, taken by Gajdusek in 1957, shows an 8-year old girl in an advanced stage of kuru.

To cite this section
MLA style: Physiology or Medicine for 1997-Animation. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach 2025. Sat. 13 Dec 2025. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1997/7807-physiology-or-medicine-for-1997-animation/>

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 14 laureates' work and discoveries range from quantum tunnelling to promoting democratic rights.

See them all presented here.

Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.