abstract:John Vane (1842-1906) was an Australian bushranger who rode with the Ben Hall gang. He was the only member of the gang in 1863 who was not killed or executed.
Sir John Vane found that aspirin blocks the body from making natural substances called prostaglandins.
VOA: special.2009.10.20
JohnVane won his Nobel by discovering in 1971 that aspirin and similar drugs inhibit an enzyme that makes prostaglandins, compounds released in response to inflammation.
In a piece of research for which he was awarded both a Nobel prize and a knighthood, JohnVane, who was then employed by the Royal College of Surgeons in London, showed that aspirin suppresses the production of local hormones known as prostoglandins.