Dilworth W. Woolley
July 20, 1914 - July 23, 1966
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Scientific Discipline: Biochemistry Membership Type:
Member
(elected 1952)
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Dilworth W. Woolley’s work with vitamins and antimetabolites helped form a theoretical basis for competitive inhibition. He worked with the hormone serotonin and found evidence that it may play a role in schizophrenia and other mental disorders. Woolley was one of the first to suggest that these disorders are dependent on faulty brain chemistry, not just on emotional stress. From this research stemmed his work with antivitamins. He created analogues of essential compounds and observed how the body utilizes them and was able to understand the ramifications of nutrient disorders.
Woolley earned his BS degree from the University of Alberta and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin, where he earned his MS degree in 1936 and his PhD in 1938. In 1939 he joined the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research, where he conducted the majority of his research. He was presented with many honors, including the Mead-Johnson Award in 1945, the American Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association Award in 1948, and the Eli Lilly Award in 1940 and 1948.
