The Schmiedeberg Medal of the German Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology: a biographical and bibliometric analysis of the 47 recipients from 1956 to 2024

The Schmiedeberg Medal, awarded by the German Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (DGPT), is the highest honour for excellent pharmacologists and has been awarded to 47 recipients until 2024. The first medal was awarded to Wolfgang Heubner in 1956, the most recent of our analysis to Franz Hofmann in June 2024. This is the first profound analysis of the prize winners: Most of the prize winners (63.83%) were born in Germany, and more than half (53.19%) came from academic families. Notably, only two women (4.26%), Edith Bülbring and Marthe Vogt, have received the award, although the presence of women in medicine and among members of the DGPT is on the rise. Almost 90% of the award winners studied medicine, and 29.79% spent part of their studies in Berlin. The award winners enjoyed exceptional quality of life and consistently surpassed the average life expectancy, with an average age of 86.26 years. On average, their careers spanned 50.65 years, with the Schmiedeberg Medal being awarded 20.74 years after the peak of their careers. Over time, the number of publications and productivity, co-authors, and senior authorships increased, while first authorships decreased. This shift reflects the growing importance of collaborative scientific work as opposed to solo endeavours. The overall publication productivity also increased during the observation period, with the Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology being the most prominent journal for these publications, although its influence decreased over time. The predominant language of publication was English, accounting for 72.28% of the articles, a trend that has increasingly replaced German since the 1970s. The most common research focus was the cholinergic and adrenergic systems. Thus, Schmiedeberg Medal recipients are an outstandingly productive group of scientists enjoying a long scientific career and a long high-quality life. In addition, Schmiedeberg Medal recipients encountered numerous societal and scientific challenges which they mastered excellently. The gender gap for this award is dramatic, reflecting the very low number of eligible female pharmacologists for this award.