It would be unwise to conclude that no negative effects have resulted or that a distinctly negative prize could not be given in the future. Presently, whatever negative effects there have been, have been heavily outweighed by the positive. Everyone makes mistakes. Science, in particular, includes mistakes as an integral component of its procedural structure, the scientific method. Scientists present hypotheses.
Experimentation demonstrates which of the proposals is most likely correct.
Science disregards the mistaken suggestions and moves onward. Nobel Prize winning scientists are obviously prominent, but in the big picture their errors make the same contribution to discovery as do the errors of other scientists. The Nobel Prize succeeds in its intended purpose. Not a single prize has been awarded which has clearly negatively impacted scientific progress while a great deal of positive notoriety and financial encouragement have been conferred. The Story of Great Discoveries in the Life Sciences.