Therapeutic Pneumothorax and the Nobel Prize

At the turn of the 20th century, the epidemic proportions of tuberculosis puzzled great parts the scientific community. Thus it is not surprising that well-known scholars who worked on particularly promising solutions to fight the disease were nominated for the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, perhaps the most prestigious benchmark of scientific excellence. The authors have gathered files on the Italian phtisiologist Carlo Forlanini (1847 to 1918) at the Nobel Prize archive for Physiology or Medicine in Solna, Sweden. Drawing on these files and contemporary publications, the authors discuss the origin of artificial pneumothorax for treating pulmonary tuberculosis, show how it became an international gold standard operation, and trace why the Nobel committee finally chose not to award Forlanini. Twenty Nobel Prize nominations for Forlanini were submitted from 1912 to 1919 exclusively by Italian scholars. In 1913 and 1914, Forlanini was on the shortlist of the Nobel Committee and thus one of the prime candidates for the prestigious prize. Important aspects of the rise, fall, and revival of the artificial pneumothorax from 1815 to 2015 are highlighted along with its benefits and risks.