13. Australian researcher experimented on himself to find what causes stomach ulcers and earned a Nobel Prize for his courage.
Barry James Marshall is a decorated Australian physician and the only living member in our list, a fact that clearly proves that there are a few remaining scientists out there who will still risk their own lives in the name of research. Dr. Marshall and his colleague, Robin Warren, proved that the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) plays a major role in causing many peptic ulcers, challenging decades of medical doctrine holding that ulcers were caused primarily by stress, spicy foods, and too much acid.
The research lasted for many years and wasn’t easy (or even safe) for Dr. Marshall though. Back in the summer of 1984, the Australian physician walked over to his lab bench, pulled down a beaker, and mixed a cocktail. The key ingredient of his not-so-tasty drink was about a billion Helicobacter pylori bacteria. Marshall hoped to show the world that the microorganism causes ulcers when he gulped the potion and which he described as “swamp water.” Twenty-one years later, the Swedish Institute in Stockholm awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Marshall and Robin Warren for their discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.