Top Ten Lists


Top 10 Lifesaving Scientists by Discovery Top 10 Medical Lifesavers Top 10 Lifesavers in the book Scientists Greater Than Einstein Top 20 Medical Lifesavers - Key Contributors Top 20 Living Lifesaving Scientists - Key Contributors Top 10 Lifesaving Scientists by Discovery 1a Fritz Haber - 2.72 billion - synthetic fertilizer 2a Karl Landsteiner - 1.094 billion - blood groups led to transfusions 3a Edward Jenner - 530 million - smallpox vaccination 4a Norman Borlaug - 259 million - high yield wheat 5a Abel Wolman - 173 million - chlorination of water 6a Bill Foege - 131 mil - 6% vaccination strategy eradicated smallpox 7a John Enders - 120 million - measles vaccine 8a Howard Florey - 82 million - penicillin, the drug 9a Gaston Ramon - 60 million - diphtheria and tetanus vaccines 10 David Nalin - 54 million - oral rehydration therapy Honorable Mention: Pre-1900 Legends Lacking Numerical Data Louis Pasteur - Germ Theory Joseph Lister - Antiseptics When a discovery has a number of key contributors we have chosen an MVP. See the Key Contributors list for all those indispensable to the discovery. Top 10 Medical Lifesavers 1a Karl Landsteiner - 1.094 billion - blood groups led to transfusions 2a Edward Jenner - 530 million - smallpox vaccination 3a Bill Foege - 131 mil - 6% vaccination strategy eradicated smallpox 4a John Enders - 120 million - measles vaccine 5a Howard Florey - 82 million - penicillin, the drug 6a Gaston Ramon - 60 million - diphtheria and tetanus vaccines 7a David Nalin - 54 million - oral rehydration therapy 8a Paul Ehrlich - 42 million - diphtheria and tetanus antitoxin 9a Frederick Banting - 16.4 million - insulin for diabetes 10 Andreas Gruentzig - 15.4 million - angioplasty Honorable Mention: Pre-1900 Legends Lacking Numerical Data Louis Pasteur - Germ Theory Joseph Lister - Antiseptics When a discovery has a number of key contributors we have chosen an MVP. See the Key Contributors list for all those indispensable to the discovery. Top 10 Lifesavers in Scientists Greater Than Einstein 1a Karl Landsteiner - 1.094 billion - blood groups led to transfusions 2a Norman Borlaug - 259 million - high yield wheat 3a Bill Foege - 131 mil - 6% vaccination strategy eradicated smallpox 4a John Enders - 120 million - measles vaccine 5a Howard Florey - 82 million - penicillin, the drug 6a David Nalin - 54 million - oral rehydration therapy 7a Paul Muller - 21.2 million - DDT and the prevention of malaria 8a Frederick Banting - 16.4 million - insulin for diabetes 9a Alfred Sommer - 7.1 million - vit A supplements save children's lives 10 Akira Endo - 5.9 million - cholesterol lowering drugs: statins Top 20 Medical Lifesavers - Key Contributors 1-2aa Karl Landsteiner - 1.094 bil - blood groups led to transfusions 1-2aa Richard Lewisohn - 1.094 bil - additive citrate led to transfusions 3-7aa Edward Jenner - 530 million - smallpox vaccination 3-7aa Bill Foege - 131 mil - 6% vaccination plan eradicated smallpox 3-7aa Leslie Collier - 131 mil - frz dried vaccine for smallpox eradication 3-7aa Isaac Ismach -131 mil jet vaccination gun for smallpox eradication 3-7aa Benjamin Rubin -131mil bifurcated needle - smallpox eradication 8-14a John Enders - 120 million - measles vaccine 8-14a Maurice Hilleman - 120 million - measles vaccine 8-14a Ann Holloway - 120 million - measles vaccine 8-14a Samuel Katz - 120 million - measles vaccine 8-14a Kevin McCarthy - 120 million - measles vaccine 8-14a Milan Milovanovich - 120 million - measles vaccine 8-14a Thomas Peebles - 120 million - measles vaccine 15-18 Howard Florey - 82 million - penicillin 15-18 Ernst Chain - 82 million - penicillin 15-18 Norman Heatley - 82 million - penicillin 15-18 Alexander Fleming - 82 million - penicillin 19-aa Gaston Ramon - 60 million - diphtheria and tetanus vaccines 20-24 David Nalin - 54 mil - oral rehydration therapy, cholera/diarrhea 20-24 Richard Cash - 54 mil - oral rehydrtn therapy, cholera/diarrhea 20-24 Norbert Hirschhorn - 54 mil - oral rehyd ther, cholera/diarrhea 20-24 Robert Phillips - 54 mil - oral rehydrtn therapy, cholera/diarrhea 20-24 David Sachar - 54 mil - oral rehydrtn therapy, cholera/diarrhea Honorable Mention: Pre-1900 Legends Lacking Numerical Data Louis Pasteur - Germ Theory Joseph Lister - Antiseptics Top 20 Living Lifesaving Scientists - KeyContributors 1aaaa Bill Foege - 131 mil - 6% vaccination plan eradicated smallpox 2-6aa Samuel Katz - 118 million - measles vaccine 2-6aa Ann Holloway - 118 million - measles vaccine 2-6aa Kevin McCarthy - 118 million - measles vaccine 2-6aa Milan Milovanovich - 118 million - measles vaccine 2-6aa Thomas Peebles - 118 million - measles vaccine 7-11a David Nalin - 54 million - oral rehydration therapy 7-11a Richard Cash - 54 million - oral rehydration therapy 7-11a Norbert Hirschhorn - 54 million - oral rehydration therapy 7-11a Robert Phillips - 54 million - oral rehydration therapy 7-11a David Sachar - 54 million - oral rehydration therapy 12-aa Wilson Greatbatch - 8.3 million - implantable cardiac pacemaker 13-aa Alfred Sommer - 7.1 mil - vit A supplements save children's lives 14-16 Baruch Blumberg - 6.3 million - hepatitis B vaccine 14-16 Irving Millman - 6.3 million - hepatitis B vaccine 14-16 Kenneth Murray - 6.3 million - hepatitis B vaccine 17-aa Akira Endo - 5.9 million - cholesterol lowering drugs: statins 18-19 James Jude - 4.7 million - CPR 18-19 G. Guy Knickerbocker - 4.7 million - CPR 20-aaJames Black - 3.6 million - beta blockers for heart disease				Top 10 Living Lifesaving Scientists by Discovery Top 10 Women Lifesaving Scientists Top 20 Lifesaving Scientists - Key Contributors Notes About The Top 10 Lists Top 10 Living Lifesaving Scientist by Discovery 1a Bill Foege - 131 mil - 6% vaccination strategy eradicated smallpox 2a Samuel Katz - 118 million - measles vaccine 3a David Nalin - 54 million - oral rehydration therapy, cholera/diarrhea 4a Alfred Sommer - 7.1 mil - vit A supplements save children's lives 5a Akira Endo - 5.9 million - cholesterol lowering drugs: statins 6a G. Guy Knickerbocker - 4.8 million - CPR When a discovery has a number of key contributors we have chosen an MVP. See the Key Contributors list for all those indispensable to the discovery. Top 10 Women Lifesaving Scientists 1-2 Ann Holloway - 118 million - measles vaccine 1-2 Anna Mitus - 118 million - measles vaccine 3-4 Grace Eldering - 13.7 million - whooping cough vaccine 3-4 Pearl Kendrick - 13.7 million - whooping cough vaccine 5-a Gertrude Elion - 5.44 million - drugs for gout, transplants, leukemia 6-a Francoise Barre-Sinoussi - 2.4 million - HIV blood test 7-a Mary Ellen Avery - 840,000 - infant surfactant therapy 8-a Rachel Schneerson - 660,000 - Hib vaccine Help us discover more women lifesaving scientists Top 20 Lifesaving Scientists - Key Contributors 1-2 aaFritz Haber - 2.72 billion - synthetic fertilizer 1-2 aaCarl Bosch - 2.72 billion - synthetic fertilizer 3-4 aaKarl Landsteiner - 1.094 bil - blood groups led to transfusions 3-4 aaRichard Lewisohn - 1.094 bil - blood groups led to transfusions 5-a aaEdward Jenner - 530 million - smallpox vaccination 6-a aaNorman Borlaug - 259 million - high yield wheat 7-8a aLinn Enslow - 177 million - chlorination of water 7-8a aAbel Wolman - 177 million - chlorination of water 9-12 aBill Foege - 131 mil - 6% vaccination plan eradicated smallpox 9-12 aLeslie Collier - 131 mil - frz dried vaccine for smallpox eradication 9-12 aIsaac Ismach -131 mil jet vacc. gun for smallpox eradication 9-12 aBenjamin Rubin - 131 mil bifurcated needle - smallpox erad. 13-19 John Enders - 120 million - measles vaccine 13-19 Maurice Hilleman - 118 million - measles vaccine 13-19 Ann Holloway - 118 million - measles vaccine 13-19 Samuel Katz - 118 million - measles vaccine 13-19 Kevin McCarthy - 118 million - measles vaccine 13-19 Milan Milovanovich - 118 million - measles vaccine 13-19 Thomas Peebles - 118 million - measles vaccine 20-23 Howard Florey - 82 million - penicillin 20-23 Ernst Chain - 82 million - penicillin 20-23 Norman Heatley - 82 million - penicillin 20-23 Alexander Fleming - 82 million - penicillin Honorable Mention: Pre-1900 Legends Lacking Numerical Data Louis Pasteur - Germ Theory Joseph Lister - Antiseptics Notes About The Top 10 Lists Lists begin with the Twentieth Century since there is little data prior to 1900. The Lists are not definitive. If you know of a lifesaving scientist we have left off, please nominate him or her. The list of "MVPs" denotes the major contributors who were indispensable and/or team leaders. It does not include all team members, who may also have been crucial. See the "Key Contributors" list to see all members crucial to a lifesaving advance. The book Scientists Greater Than Einstein title begs the question of how the popularity of a scientist should be determined. The author, Billy Woodward, believes prominence should be determined on a scientific basis of their accomplishments - which means by measurable evidence. If saving a life is one of the most important accomplishments possible, and the number of lives saved is measurable, do not lifesaving scientists deserve to be highly acclaimed?