George H. Hitchings
He revolutionized medicine by pioneering a rational method for designing drugs, leading to treatments for leukemia, malaria, and organ transplants.
1905–1998 (age 93)·Nobel Prize-winning American doctor·Birthday: April 18·The Greatest Generation
Biography
George H. Hitchings approached disease not as a doctor treating patients, but as a biochemical detective hunting for molecular weaknesses. In the late 1940s, he and his colleague Gertrude Elion embarked on a radical strategy: they studied the differences between human cells and pathogens to design chemicals that could selectively inhibit the bad actors. This 'rational drug design' was a departure from the trial-and-error methods of the past. Their work at Burroughs Wellcome led to a cascade of firsts: the first effective leukemia treatment, the first immunosuppressant for kidney transplants, and drugs for gout, malaria, and bacterial infections. Hitchings' intellectual leadership created an environment where targeted therapy could flourish, fundamentally changing how pharmaceuticals are developed and earning him a Nobel Prize shared with Elion and James Black in 1988.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
George was born in 1905, placing them squarely in The Greatest 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 George Was Born
The biggest hits of 1905
George's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1905Born
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Started school
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1918Became a teenager
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1921Could drive
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1923Could vote
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1926Turned 21
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1935Turned 30
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1945Turned 40
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1955Turned 50
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 60
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 70
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 80
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1998Died at 93
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
Key Achievements
- Awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries of key principles of drug treatment.
- Co-developed mercaptopurine, the first drug to induce remission in childhood leukemia.
- Pioneered azathioprine, the first immunosuppressive agent used successfully for organ transplantation.
- His research led to the creation of allopurinol, a widely used treatment for gout.
- Established the methodology of rational drug design based on biochemical differences between cells.
Did You Know?
He earned his doctorate in biochemistry from Harvard University in 1933.
Despite his medical degree, he never practiced clinical medicine, focusing entirely on research.
He and Gertrude Elion worked together for decades, forming one of science's most productive partnerships.
He served as a mentor to Gertrude Elion, who, due to gender biases of the time, struggled to earn her doctorate until later in her career.
“The real satisfaction was not the Nobel Prize itself, but the feeling that maybe I had contributed something that would be of lasting value.”
