Ivar Asbjörn Følling: Discovered Phenylketonuria (PKU)

Gonzalez and Willis profile Ivar Asbjorn Folling, a Norwegian biochemist and physician, first published the description of phenylketonuria (PKU) as a cause of mental retardation in 1934. The discovery of PKU was a fundamentally important discovery for the fields of biochemistry, genetics, metabolism, and medicine. He received numerous awards for his work on PKU. He was also made an honorary member of the Norwegian Medical Society. He was honored with the first Joseph P. Kennedy International Award in Mental Retardation in 1962 presented by President John F. Kennedy.