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Why did Corneille Heymans receive the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine?

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A pine grosbeak with pink and gray plumage perches on a branch, eating red berries among autumn foliage. — Chemoreception Animals, such as this pine grosbeak, use chemoreception to respond to chemicals that can be tasted and smelled in their environments. Many of these chemicals affect behaviors such as food preference and defense.

Corneille Heymans was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the regulatory role that specific sensory organs play in respiration.1

Through his research on anesthetized dogs, Heymans identified that sensory organs associated with the carotid artery and the aortic arch are essential for monitoring blood composition and pressure. Specifically, he discovered:1

Pressoreceptors: Located in the wall of the carotid sinus, these receptors monitor blood pressure and help regulate heart rate and respiration.1
Chemoreceptors: Found near the pressoreceptors and at the base of the aorta, these organs—also known as glomera—monitor the oxygen content of the blood.1

Heymans demonstrated that these chemoreceptors help regulate breathing by communicating with the medulla, the respiratory center at the base of the brain. This foundational work provided critical insight into how the body maintains homeostasis through chemoreception.12