Andrew V. Schally, a distinguished endocrinologist renowned for his groundbreaking discovery of the hormones that govern growth, reproduction, and various other bodily functions, passed away on Thursday at his residence in Miami Beach. He was 97 years old. The news of his death was confirmed by his son, Gordon.
Dr. Schally, a Polish refugee, began his remarkable journey as a research technician and dedicated a significant portion of his career to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New Orleans. Here, he spearheaded a vigorous quest to be the first to identify these critical hormones, which play a pivotal role in human physiology.
His intense rivalry with Dr. Roger Guillemin, a fellow neuroscientist and a one-time colleague, spanned over two decades and came to a head in 1977 when both were awarded a quarter share of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The other half of the prize was awarded to Rosalyn S. Yalow, a medical physicist, for her unrelated contributions to the field. Dr. Guillemin sadly passed away in February of this year.
Dr. Schally’s achievements were characterized by rigorous, industrial-style research methodologies. Given that the brain contains only minute quantities of these hormones, he required thousands of brains to extract even small amounts for his studies. A significant turning point in his research was made possible by a generous donation of one million pig brains from Oscar Mayer, which allowed him to expand his scientific team and further his groundbreaking work.
Unlike many other Nobel Prize-winning projects, Dr. Schally’s research was not solely the product of individual brilliance but rather a collaborative effort involving his entire team. He focused on purifying the hormones, which were then passed on to structural chemists who performed the meticulous analytical work necessary for further discoveries. Although he often contested for fair recognition alongside Dr. Guillemin, he exhibited a more relaxed attitude when disputes over authorship arose among his team members. “What do I care?” Dr. Schally once remarked. “It’s my lab — I get the glory anyway.”
Born on November 30, 1926, in Wilno, Poland (now part of Lithuania), Andrzej Viktor Schally was the son of Kazimierz and Maria (Lacka) Schally. His father served as a major general in the Polish Army and was the chief of the Polish mission to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, the central military command for the Allies during World War II.