Cothenius Medal is a medal awarded by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (known as the Leopoldina) for outstanding scientific achievement during the life of the awardee. The medal was created to honour Christian Andreas Cothenius, who was the personal physician to Frederick the Great. In 1743, Cothenius became a fellow of the Leopoldina, later president of the learned society that had been created by Emperor Leopold I. When Cothenius died, he left a sum of money in his will to the society with the condition that the interest on the money should be used to award a gold medal, every two years by answering a question in medicine whereby some new truth could be established. Up until 1864, the award came with a prize but was then converted into an award for the promotion of research over the whole period of a person's life. Each medal bears the Latin inscription "Praemium virtutis salutem mortalium provehentibus sancitum" (Created in recognition of the ability of those who promote the good of mortals).
Cothenius Medal awardees, 1959–Present +YearImageLaureateDisciplineCityRef 2025 Kai Simons (born 1938) Biochemistry/cell biology Dresden 2024 Roger S. Goody (born 1944) Biochemistry Dortmund 2023 Jürgen Troe (born 1940) Physical Chemistry Göttingen 2021 Rudolf K. Thauer (born 1939) Microbiology/Immunology Marburg 2021 Werner Kühlbrandt (born 1951) Biochemistry/Structural Biology Frankfurt 2019 Klaus Müllen (born 1947) Chemistry Mainz 2019 Walter Neupert (1939–2019) Biochemistry and cell biology Martinsried 2017 Fritz Melchers (born 1936) Cell biology Berlin 2017 Joachim Trümper (born 1933) X-ray astronomy Garching 2015 Herbert Gleiter (born 1938) Physics Karlsruhe 2015 Otto Ludwig Lange (1927–2017) Biology Würzburg 2013 Gunter S. Fischer (born 1943) Chemistry Halle 2013 Wolf Singer (born 1943) Neurosciences Frankfurt 2011 Bert Hölldobler (born 1936) Zoology Würzburg 2011 Anna M. Wobus (born 1945) Human genetics and molecular medicine Gatersleben 2011 Ulrich Wobus (born 1942) Genetics/Molecular Biology Gatersleben 2009 Karl Decker (1925–2024) Biochemistry 2009 Eduard Seidler (1929–2020) History of medicine 2007 Klaus Wolff (1935–2019) Dermatology Vienna 2007 Sigrid Doris Peyerimhoff (born 1937) Physical chemistry Bonn 2005 Hans Günter Schlegel (1924–2013) Microbiology Göttingen 2005 Alfred Gierer (born 1929) Molecular biologist 2003 Ernst J. M. Helmreich (1922–2017) Biochemistry Würzburg 2003 Benno Parthier (1932–2019) Cell biology 2003 Andreas Oksche (1926–2017) Anatomy Giessen 2001 Leopold Horner (1911–2005) Chemistry Mainz 2001 Heinz Jagodzinski (1916–2012) Physics Munich 2000 Hans Mohr (1930–2016) Plant physiologist Freiburg 1999 Rudolf Rott (1926–2003) Veterinary medicine Giessen 1999 Dorothea Kuhn (1923–2015) History of science and medicine Marbach 1997 Otto Braun-Falco (1922–2018) Dermatology Munich 1997 Friedrich Hirzebruch (1927–2012) Mathematics Bonn 1995 Wilhelm Doerr (1914–1996) Pathology Heidelberg 1995 Gottfried Möllenstedt (1912–1997) Physics Tübingen 1995 Dietrich Schneider (1919–2008) Zoology Starnberg 1993 Wolfgang Gerok ( (1926–2021) Internal Medicine Freiburg 1993 Bernhard Hassenstein (1922–2016) Zoologie Freiburg 1991 Heinz Röhrer (1905–1992) Veterinary Medicine Rathenow 1991 Albert Eschenmoser (1925–2023) Chemistry Küsnacht 1989 Sir Bernhard Katz (1911–2003) Physiology London 1989 Jürgen Tonndorf (1914–1989) Otorhinolaryngology New York 1989 Heinz Bethge (1919–2001) Physics 1987 Rostislaw Kaischew (1908–1990) Physical Chemistry Sofia 1987 Adolf Watznauer (1907–1995) Geology Karl-Marx-Stadt 1985 Konrad Zuse (1910–1995) Computer technology Hünfeld 1985 Hermann Flohn (1912–1997) Climatology Bonn 1983 Wolf von Engelhardt (1910–2008) Mineralogy Tübingen 1983 Erna Lesky (1911–1986) History of Medicine Innsbruck 1980 Wilhelm Jost (1903–1988) Physical Chemistry Göttingen 1980 Peter Friedrich Matzen (1909–1986) Orthopaedics Leipzig 1977 Wolfgang Gentner (1906–1980) Physics Heidelberg 1977 Arnold Graffi (1910–2006) General Biology Berlin 1975 Ilya Prigogine (1917–1988) Physical Chemistry Brussels/Austin 1975 Ernst Ruska (1906–1996) Physics Berlin 1974 Viktor Ambartsumian (1908–1996) Astronomy Yerevan 1973 Albrecht Unsöld (1905–1995) Astronomy Kiel 1972 Erwin Reichenbach (1897–1973) Stomatology 1971 Otto Kratky (1902–1995) Physical Chemistry Graz 1971 Friedrich Hund (1896–1997) Göttingen Physics 1969 Pavel Alexandrov (1896–1982) Mathematics Moscow 1969 Helmut Hasse (1898–1979) Mathematics Hamburg 1969 Bartel Leendert van der Waerden (1903 - 1996) Mathematics Zürich 1967 Vladimir Engelgardt (1894–1984) Physiological Chemistry Moscow 1967 Karl Lohmann (1898–1978) Physiological Chemistry Berlin 1966 Archibald Vivian Hill (1886–1977) Physiology Cambridge (GB) 1965 Hans Hermann Bennhold (1893–1976) Internal Medicine Tübingen 1965 Ernst Derra (1901–1979) Surgery Düsseldorf 1964 Wolfgang von Buddenbrock-Hettersdorff (1884–1964) Zoology Mainz 1961 Max Bürger (1885–1966) Internal Medicine Leipzig 1960 (1900–1983) Botany Halle 1960 John Eccles (1903–1997) Physiology Canberra 1959 George de Hevesy (1885–1966) Physical Chemistry Stockholm 1959 Pyotr Kapitsa (1894–1984) Physics Moscow
Cothenius Medal awardees, 1864–1953
Cothenius Medal awardees, 1792–1861
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