Emil Theodor Kocher ( 25 August 1841 -- 27 July 1917 ) was a Swiss physician and medical researcher who received the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work in the physiology , pathology and surgery of the thyroid .
Emil Theodor Kocher ( August 25 , 1841 - July 27 , 1917 ) was a Swiss doctor . He won the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine , for his work on the thyroid gland '' .