Houssay, << oo SY, >> Bernardo Alberto (1887-1971), was an Argentine medical researcher who added greatly to scientific understanding of the pituitary gland. The pituitary is a pea-sized organ near the base of the brain that is often called the “master gland” of the body. For his research, Houssay became the first South American scientist to win the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. He shared the 1947 prize with Carl and Gerty Cori of the United States.
Houssay studied interactions between the pituitary gland and many other glands and organs, including the pancreas. The pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that enables the body to use sugar. Houssay proved that the front part of the pituitary makes a chemical that counteracts insulin. He also showed that removing the pituitary from an animal with diabetes reduces the severity of the disease.
Houssay was born in Buenos Aires on April 10, 1887. He graduated from high school at the age of 14 and from the School of Pharmacy of the University of Buenos Aires at the age of 17. He went on to study medicine at the university while working as a hospital pharmacist and teacher, earning an M.D. degree in 1911.
Houssay became a professor of physiology (the study of bodily functions) at the medical school in 1919. In 1943, army officers overthrew Argentina’s government, and Juan Perón began his rise to power. Houssay signed a petition calling for democratic government, and the military dictatorship dismissed him from the university. To continue his research, he helped found the Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine in Buenos Aires in 1944. He regained his university position under a general amnesty in 1945 but was asked to retire the next year. He continued his research privately until he was reinstated once more in 1955. Houssay died on Sept. 21, 1971.
