Georg von Békésy (Hungarian: Békésy György, pronounced [ˈbeːkeːʃi ˈɟørɟ]; 3 June 1899 – 13 June 1972) was a Hungarian-American scientist who studied biology and physics.

Using strobe photography and silver flakes as markers, he discovered that the basilar membrane moves in a wave-like pattern when sound waves stimulate it. The shape of the cochlea and the structure of the basilar membrane cause different sound frequencies to create the largest vibrations in different areas along the cochlea. High-frequency sounds cause the most movement near the base of the cochlea, while low-frequency sounds cause the most movement near the apex.

He concluded that these observations explain how different sound frequencies are separated in specific areas of the cochlea before activating different nerve fibers that send signals to the brain.

In 1961, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on how the cochlea functions in the mammalian hearing system.

Biography

György Békésy was born on June 3, 1899, in Budapest, Hungary. He was the first of three children: György (1899), Lola (1901), and Miklós (1903). His father, Sándor Békésy (1860–1923), was an economic diplomat, and his mother, Paula Mazaly (1877–1974), was born in Szagolyca, now known as Čađavica, Croatia. Paula’s grandfather was from Pécs, Hungary. Sándor was born in Kolozsvár, now called Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Békésy attended school in Budapest, Munich, and Zürich. He studied chemistry in Bern and earned his PhD in physics from the University of Budapest in 1926. His research topic was titled "Fast way of determining molecular weight." After completing his studies, he worked for one year in an engineering firm. In 1928, he published his first scientific paper about the vibrations in the inner ear. He was offered a job at Uppsala University in Sweden but refused because of the cold winter weather there.

Before and during World War II, Békésy worked for the Hungarian Post Office from 1923 to 1946. His research focused on improving the quality of telecommunications signals. This work sparked his interest in how the ear functions. In 1946, he left Hungary to continue his research at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

In 1947, Békésy moved to the United States and worked at Harvard University until 1966. In 1962, he was elected to the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. After a fire destroyed his laboratory in 1965, he was invited to lead a research laboratory on sense organs in Honolulu, Hawaii. He became a professor at the University of Hawaiʻi in 1966 and died in Honolulu.

Békésy became an expert in Asian art and collected many items, which he later donated to the Nobel Foundation in Sweden. His brother, Dr. Miklós Békésy (1903–1980), remained in Hungary and became a well-known agrobiologist. He was awarded the Kossuth Prize for his work.

Research

Békésy made important discoveries about how the inner ear detects different sound frequencies. He created a way to study the inner ear from human cadavers while keeping the cochlea mostly intact. Using strobe photography and silver flakes to track movement, he found that the basilar membrane moves in a wave-like pattern when sound is present. The cochlea's shape and the basilar membrane's structure cause different sound frequencies to create the strongest vibrations in different areas. High-pitched sounds cause the most movement near the base of the cochlea, while low-pitched sounds cause the most movement near the top.

From these findings, Békésy concluded that different parts of the basilar membrane activate specific nerve cells that send signals to the brain. He suggested that each hair cell in the cochlea responds best to a particular sound frequency, a concept called tonotopy. Later, he built a mechanical model of the cochlea that supported the idea that the basilar membrane separates sound frequencies in mammals.

In a 1974 article published after his death, Békésy discussed developments in the field. He noted that studying dehydrated cats and using Fourier analysis for hearing research had become obstacles to progress. He explained that these methods made it harder to replicate real-life conditions in animals and led to incorrect interpretations in some studies.

Awards

Békésy received many honors, including:

• The Denker Prize in the study of hearing and ear diseases (1931), The Leibniz Medal of the Berlin Academy of Sciences (1937), The Guyot Prize for Speech and Otology of Groningen University (1939), The Academy Award of the Budapest Academy of Science (1946), and the Shambough Prize in Otology (1950).
• Honorary doctorates in medicine (M.D.) were given to him by the University of Münster (1955), Bern (1959), Padua (1962), Buenos Aires (1968), Córdoba (1968), Hawaii (1969), and Semmelweis University, Budapest (1969).