Kendall, Edward C.

Kendall, Edward C. (Calvin) (1886–1972) endocrinologist; born in South Norwalk, Conn. He was a research chemist with the Parke, Davis and Company (Detroit) (1910–11) and a hormone biochemist at St. Luke's Hospital (New York City) (1911–14). After moving to the Mayo Clinic (1914–51), he isolated and named thyroxin, the principal thyroid hormone (1916). Of his six hormonal isolates from the adrenal cortex, one (cortisone) was used by his colleague, Philip Hench, for the successful treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Kendall (with Hench and Swiss adrenal specialist Tadeus Reichstein) received the 1950 Nobel Prize in physiology for his contributions to endocrinology. From 1951 to 1972 he was a visiting professor and researcher at Princeton (1951–72).