Tu Youyou: World Contribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2015年10月5日北京时间17时30分，诺贝尔委员会在斯德哥尔摩宣布将2015年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖授予中国女药学家屠呦呦，以及另外两名科学家威廉·坎贝尔和大村智，表彰他们在寄生虫疾病治疗研究方面取得的成就。
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm announced on October 5, 2015, that one half of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was to be awarded to Chinese medical scientist Ms. Tu Youyou, and the other half jointly to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura, for their achievements in treatment and research on parasitic diseases.
这是中国科学家因为在中国本土进行的科学研究而首次获诺贝尔科学奖，是中国医学界迄今为止获得的最高奖项，也是中医药成果获得的最高奖项。
This was the first occasion on which a Chinese scientist whose research was carried out exclusively in China won a Nobel Prize. It is the highest award ever for the Chinese medical community and for traditional Chinese medicine.
屠呦呦，女，1930年12月30日出生于浙江宁波，汉族，中共党员，药学家。1951年考入北京大学医学院药学系生药专业。1955年毕业于北京医学院（今北京大学医学部）。毕业后接受中医培训两年半，并一直在中国中医研究院（2005年更名为中国中医科学院）工作，期间晋升为硕士生导师、博士生导师。现为中国中医科学院首席科学家，终身研究员兼首席研究员，青蒿素研究开发中心主任，博士生导师，共和国勋章获得者。
Tu Youyou, female, was born on December 30, 1930 in Ningbo, Zhejiang of Han nationality, a CPC member and pharmacist. In 1951, she was admitted to the Department of Pharmacy, Medical College in Peking University. She graduated from Beijing Medical College (now the Medical Department of Peking University) in 1955. After graduation, she received training in traditional Chinese medicine for two and a half years, and has been working in the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (renamed the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2005), during which she was promoted to master's supervisor and doctoral supervisor. Now she is the chief scientist, lifelong researcher and chief researcher of Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese medicine, director of Artemisinin Research and Development Center, doctoral supervisor and winner of the Medal of the Republic.
20世纪70年代，屠呦呦就开始进行抗疟疾药物研究，她受到一篇中国古文的启发，文中写道，公元400年左右时青蒿被用来治疗间歇性发热(疟疾的一种症状)。这种疟疾疗法是由中医草药——青蒿而来。目前，使用青蒿素复方药物已经成为治疗疟疾的标准疗法。
Tu Youyou conducted research in the 1970s that led to the discovery of artemisinin. And she was inspired by an ancient Chinese text which said sweet wormwood was used to tackle intermittent fevers (a hallmark of malaria) in 400 AD. The treatment is based on an herb used in Chinese traditional medicine, called sweet wormwood. Artemisinin-based drugs are now the standard treatment for malaria.
“青蒿素等的发现，从根本上改变了寄生虫疾病的治疗。世界上每年有约2亿人感染疟疾，在全球疟疾的综合治疗中，青蒿素至少降低了20%的死亡率及30%的儿童死亡率，仅就非洲而言，每年就能拯救10万人的生命。”诺贝尔生理学或医学奖评选委员会特别指出。
“The discovery of artemisinin changed the fundamental treatment of parasitic diseases. Almost 200 million people are infected with malaria every year. Artemisinin has reduced the death rate by 20 percent and that among children by at least 30 percent worldwide. A total of 100,000 lives are saved annually in Africa alone,” the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine said.
对于获奖者本人，已经85岁的屠呦呦说：“获不获奖对我来说不那么重要，但是获奖也证明我们的中医药宝库非常丰富。”“因为做了一辈子，希望青蒿素能够物尽其用，也希望有新的激励机制，让中医药产生更多有价值的成果，更好地发挥护佑人类健康的作用。”屠呦呦说。
As for the laureate herself, 85-year-old Tu Youyou said, “Winning the prize is not very important to me. But this recognition proves the immense value of traditional Chinese medicine.” Tu Youyou said, “Since it has been my lifelong work, I hope artemisinin will be utilized to its full potential, and that a new incentive mechanism can be put in place to ensure that TCM produces more valuable drugs and gives even better protection of human health.”
撰稿：英语教研室宋淑垚、马新生
参考文献：1.新华网；2. 今日中国；3. BBC官网；4. Encyclopedia Britannica；5. China Today
