Scientists Living on the Edge: The Badasses Who Risked It All to Change Medicine Forever.
The history of science is full of wild stories, where researchers went to extreme lengths in the name of discovery. Some even took it to the next level by experimenting on themselves. These bold individuals faced deadly diseases and unknown procedures without any guarantees, all in the name of advancing modern medicine. Here are just a few of these crazy tales that changed the course of science forever.
### Barry Marshall: the “crazy doctor” who drank bacteria
Back in the 1980s, Barry Marshall did the unthinkable by swallowing Helicobacter pylori to prove that ulcers were caused by bacteria, not stress. He got really sick, but then cured himself with antibiotics, completely changing the field of gastroenterology. And to top it off, he won the Nobel Prize in 2005 for his groundbreaking discovery alongside Robin Warren.
### Werner Forssmann: a catheter in his own heart
Imagine being a doctor in 1929 and deciding to stick a tube into your own vein all the way up to your heart – that’s exactly what Werner Forssmann did to pioneer the technique of catheterization. He faced criticism and skepticism, but his risky move laid the foundation for modern cardiology. And he eventually received a well-deserved Nobel Prize in 1956.
### Alexander Bogdanov: transfusions in search of youth
This Russian doctor was not afraid to roll up his sleeves and undergo multiple blood transfusions in the quest for eternal youth. His experiments may have been off the mark, leading to his unfortunate death from an infected transfusion, but they did help advance our understanding of blood groups and safety in transfusions.
Although these antics may seem insane by today’s standards, they played a vital role in shaping the medical landscape as we know it. These daring individuals remind us that sometimes you have to take risks in order to make progress, even if it means stepping into some uncharted territory.
