Carl Ferdinand Cori
A biochemist who, with his wife Gerty, mapped the crucial cycle by which our bodies store and use sugar for energy.
1896–1984 (age 88)·Czech Nobel prize laureate and scientist·Birthday: December 5·The Lost Generation
Biography
Carl Cori's story is inextricably linked with that of his wife and scientific partner, Gerty. Born in Prague, they met at university and began a collaboration that would last a lifetime, emigrating to the United States in 1922 to escape post-war Europe. At Washington University in St. Louis, they meticulously unraveled what became known as the Cori cycle: the pathway by which muscle glycogen is broken down into lactate, which is then shuttled to the liver and converted back into glucose. This elegant description of carbohydrate metabolism was a monumental leap in biochemistry, earning them a share of the 1947 Nobel Prize. A gentle and dedicated mentor, Carl Cori fostered a remarkable laboratory where six future Nobel laureates trained. His work laid the essential groundwork for understanding hormonal regulation and metabolic diseases like diabetes.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Carl was born in 1896, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Carl Was Born
The biggest hits of 1896
Carl's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1896Born
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1901Started school
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Became a teenager
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1912Could drive
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1914Could vote
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Turned 21
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1926Turned 30
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1936Turned 40
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1946Turned 50
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1956Turned 60
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1966Turned 70
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 80
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1984Died at 88
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
Key Achievements
- Shared the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the catalytic conversion of glycogen.
- Elucidated the Cori cycle, the process of lactic acid metabolism between muscle and liver.
- Isolated and identified the enzyme phosphorylase, a key catalyst in glycogen breakdown.
- Led a department at Washington University that became a world-renowned training ground for biochemical researchers.
Did You Know?
He and his wife Gerty were the third married couple ever to win a Nobel Prize.
He chose to share his Nobel Prize money with his co-discoverer, Bernardo Houssay, who had not been included in the original award.
The Cori crater on the Moon is named for him and Gerty.
“The enzyme phosphorylase catalyzes the reversible conversion of glycogen and inorganic phosphate to glucose-1-phosphate.”
