1904-1979

German physician who, by experimenting on himself, was the first to develop a technique for catheterization of the heart. Forssmann was awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine (along with two other cardiology researchers) for his pioneering work in the field of cardiology. Despite the significance of Forssmann's cardiac research, he was scorned by the medical community for his unorthodox method of self-experimentation. Forssmann ultimately switched his focus to urology.