I was watching the BBC documentary "E-Cigarettes: Miracle or Menace?" the other day, which included a short interview with Hon Lik, who as I'm sure you all know is the inventor of the electronic cigarette that we are all using every day.
In the few interviews that I've seen with him he always comes across as a modest and unassuming man, and it occurred to me that he must be a suitable candidate for a Nobel prize for medicine.
His invention has led to improvements in the health of millions of smokers, and has the potential to prolong the lives of the same millions by avoiding all the unpleasant diseases that burning tobacco causes. If this isn't worth a Nobel prize I don't know what is. And also of course if the inventor of the ecigarette is a Nobel winner it would be that much harder for the opponents of vaping to make their case.
So how hard is it to get someone nominated for a nobel prize for medicine? Very hard indeed it would seem. Here's the list of people who are allowed to nominate people (from the Nobel website):
Now I don't know a single person who fits in any of these categories, and I suspect that most of you don't either, but we do have the medical professionals forum, which is private, but there may be people there who may know people who are eligible. Also I was suprised to find that there isn't a Swedish section in the international section of the forum, but maybe someone has affiliations to a Swedish ecig forum that can start the process over there.
It's too late to nominate anyone for the 2016 prizes, but now would be a good time to start lobbying people for 2017. Here's the timeline for nominations for 2017:
So there's where it stands. Is it possible to get Hon Lik nominated? Add your thoughts below.
In the few interviews that I've seen with him he always comes across as a modest and unassuming man, and it occurred to me that he must be a suitable candidate for a Nobel prize for medicine.
His invention has led to improvements in the health of millions of smokers, and has the potential to prolong the lives of the same millions by avoiding all the unpleasant diseases that burning tobacco causes. If this isn't worth a Nobel prize I don't know what is. And also of course if the inventor of the ecigarette is a Nobel winner it would be that much harder for the opponents of vaping to make their case.
So how hard is it to get someone nominated for a nobel prize for medicine? Very hard indeed it would seem. Here's the list of people who are allowed to nominate people (from the Nobel website):
- 1. Members of the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm;
- 2. Swedish and foreign members of the the Medicine and Biology classes of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences;
- 3. Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine and Chemistry;
- 4. Members of the Nobel Committee not qualified under paragraph 1 above;
- 5. Holders of established posts as full professors at the faculties of medicine in Sweden and holders of similar posts at the faculties of medicine or similar institutions in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway;
- 6. Holders of similar posts at no fewer than six other faculties of medicine at universities around the world, selected by the Nobel Assembly, with a view to ensuring the appropriate distribution of the task among various countries.
- 7. Scientists whom the Nobel Assembly may otherwise see fit to approach.
- 8. No self-nominations are considered.
Now I don't know a single person who fits in any of these categories, and I suspect that most of you don't either, but we do have the medical professionals forum, which is private, but there may be people there who may know people who are eligible. Also I was suprised to find that there isn't a Swedish section in the international section of the forum, but maybe someone has affiliations to a Swedish ecig forum that can start the process over there.
It's too late to nominate anyone for the 2016 prizes, but now would be a good time to start lobbying people for 2017. Here's the timeline for nominations for 2017:
- September (this year) – Invitation to nominate sent out. Over 3000 personal confidential invitations sent out to qualified nominators.
- February – Deadline for submission. The completed forms must reach the Nobel Committee no later than 31 January of the following year.
- March-May – Evaluation reports. The Nobel Committee invites international reputable experts to prepare evaluation reports.
- June-August – Evaluation work in progress. Reports submitted by middle of August.
- September – The Nobel Committee submits recommendations. The Nobel Committee submits recommendations on presumable candidates for discussion in the Nobel Assembly.
- October – The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is announced. The Nobel Assembly chooses the Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine through a majority vote on the first Monday in October. The decision is final and without appeal. The Nobel Laureates are informed immediately afterwards and the decision is then announced at the press conference.
- December – The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony. The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony takes place on the 10th of December in Stockholm, where the Nobel Laureates receive the Nobel Medal, Diploma and the prize sum.
So there's where it stands. Is it possible to get Hon Lik nominated? Add your thoughts below.
