Self-experimentation has driven some of medicine’s most daring breakthroughs, with over 465 documented cases and 14 Nobel Prizes linked to this high-stakes practice.
From injecting deadly pathogens to enduring brutal physical tests, these scientists risked their lives to uncover truths that transformed healthcare. Their death toll? Astonishingly low—just 1.72%—with no fatalities since 1928, according to a paper reviewed by Harvard University.
Here are 15 researchers whose radical self-experiments reshaped science forever. Some paid with their health—or their lives—but their legacy is undeniable.
1. Barry Marshall
Marshall revolutionized our understanding of stomach ulcers through an audacious self-experiment in 2005. The Australian physician drank a culture of H. pylori bacteria to prove it caused gastric ulcers, a discovery that earned him the Nobel Prize.
His colleagues initially dismissed his bacterial theory of ulcers, believing stress and lifestyle were the culprits. After developing severe gastritis from his experiment, Marshall successfully treated himself with antibiotics, definitively proving his hypothesis and transforming ulcer treatment worldwide.
2. Werner Forssmann
In 1929, Forssmann performed the first human cardiac catheterization – on himself, as mentioned in Discover Magazine. The young surgical intern inserted a urinary catheter into his own arm vein and guided it into his heart while monitoring its position with X-rays.
His dangerous self-experiment led to his dismissal from his residency position. However, his technique later became a fundamental diagnostic tool in cardiology, earning him the 1956 Nobel Prize.
3. William Stark
In 1769, a trailblazing nutrition researcher pushed the boundaries of science by conducting self-experiments with his diet, which ultimately proved fatal, as detailed by the American Chemical Society. Stark systematically restricted his diet to study the effects of different foods, consuming mainly bread and water while gradually adding single items like beef, goose, and olive oil.
His rigid self-experimentation proved tragically instructive – by excluding fruits and vegetables, he developed scurvy and died at just 29 years old. His death helped demonstrate the vital importance of vitamin C in human nutrition.
4. John Paul Stapp
This Air Force surgeon earned the nickname “the fastest man on Earth” through his death-defying rocket sled experiments, according to Time. Stapp repeatedly strapped himself into the “Gee Whiz” sled and endured extreme acceleration and deceleration forces to study human tolerance limits.
Despite suffering multiple broken bones and a temporarily detached retina, his research proved humans could withstand up to 45 Gs of force with proper restraints. His findings revolutionized vehicle safety and aircraft seat design.
5. Karl Landsteiner
Landsteiner’s self-experimentation with blood samples led to the discovery of human blood types. The scientist regularly drew his own blood for research, meticulously studying its properties and reactions.
His work identifying the ABO blood group system earned him the 1930 Nobel Prize and laid the foundation for safe blood transfusions. Landsteiner’s willingness to use himself as a test subject helped create modern blood banking.
6. Nathaniel Kleitman
The father of sleep research conducted an extraordinary 32-day experiment on himself in Mammoth Cave. In 1938, Kleitman attempted to adapt to a 28-hour day cycle in complete isolation, living in constant darkness underground, as reported by Cell Mentor.
Though he failed to adjust to the artificial schedule, his pioneering self-experiment advanced our understanding of circadian rhythms. His work helped establish sleep research as a scientific discipline.
7. Jesse Lazear
Lazear made the ultimate sacrifice in his quest to understand yellow fever transmission. As part of the Walter Reed Commission in 1900, he deliberately allowed infected mosquitoes to bite him to prove they spread the disease.
An article published in JSTOR Daily detailed that the experiment proved fatal – Lazear died from yellow fever, but his sacrifice helped confirm the mosquito transmission theory. His death led to successful mosquito control measures that saved countless lives.
8. Elie Metchnikoff
This scientist combined self-experimentation with a dramatic flair. In 1881, during a bout of depression, Metchnikoff injected himself with relapsing fever as a suicide attempt but survived and went on to conduct research on immunity.
His later self-experiments with cholera helped advance immunology. Metchnikoff’s work on phagocytes and cellular immunity earned him the 1908 Nobel Prize, proving that even the darkest moments can lead to brilliant discoveries.
9. Marie Curie
The pioneering physicist exposed herself to dangerous radiation while studying radium and polonium in her makeshift Paris laboratory. Along with her husband Pierre, she routinely subjected herself to radiation’s burning effects to explore its potential use in cancer treatment.
Despite suffering constant illness, fatigue, and pain from radiation exposure, her self-experimentation helped establish radium’s medical applications, as noted in a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Biology. Her work earned her the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics shared with Pierre.
10. Isaac Newton
At age 22, Newton conducted a perilous optical experiment by staring at the sun’s reflection in a mirror. His goal was to study the afterimages left on his retinas, but this reckless self-experiment nearly blinded him.
The marks left on his eyelids took considerable time to fade, though fortunately, his vision eventually recovered. This dangerous pursuit demonstrated both his intense scientific curiosity and disregard for personal safety.
11. JBS Haldane
This polymath scientist subjected himself to decompression chamber experiments in the early 20th century to study submarine safety. He investigated the physiological effects of various gas mixtures at different pressures.
His work advanced understanding of nitrogen narcosis and breathing equipment safety, but at great personal cost. He suffered numerous seizures from oxygen poisoning, with one incident resulting in several crushed vertebrae.
12. Humphry Davy
While working at the Medical Pneumatic Institute of Bristol, Davy conducted extensive self-experiments with various gases. Through testing nitrogen oxides on himself, he discovered nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and its euphoric effects.
Though initially seeking to replicate opium’s effects, his work led to recommending nitrous oxide as an anesthetic. While this suggestion wasn’t implemented until after his death, his discovery revolutionized surgical medicine.
13. Albert Hoffman
This Swiss chemist made history through his self-experimentation with LSD. Rolling Stone reports that after synthesizing lysergic acid in 1943, he ingested 25 milligrams of LSD-25 in his laboratory to test its effects.
His famous bicycle ride home while under the influence revealed the substance’s powerful hallucinogenic properties. Hoffman continued experimenting with LSD throughout his life, living to the remarkable age of 102.
14. Kevin Warwick
In the late 1990s, this cybernetics researcher had a silicon chip transponder surgically implanted in his forearm. The neural interface allowed his nervous system to communicate directly with computer systems.
Through this self-experiment, Warwick demonstrated the potential for human-computer integration, successfully controlling doors, lights, and other devices through neural signals alone.
15. Hermann Blumgart
In 1927, Blumgart injected himself with radioactive radon to study blood flow velocity. This dangerous self-experiment provided crucial insights into circulatory system dynamics.
His work was later followed by Waldo E. Cohn, who performed similar self-experiments with radioactive sodium, further advancing our understanding of blood circulation and establishing important measurement techniques.
These 16 scientists exemplify the extraordinary lengths researchers have gone to advance human knowledge. Their self-experiments, while often dangerous and sometimes fatal, established foundational principles in medicine, physiology, and biochemistry that we rely on today.
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Nancy Maffia
Nancy received a bachelor’s in biology from Elmira College and a master’s degree in horticulture and communications from the University of Kentucky. Worked in plant taxonomy at the University of Florida and the L. H. Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University, and wrote and edited gardening books at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA. Her interests are plant identification, gardening, hiking, and reading.
