Editing 1972 in science (section)

==Medicine==
* January 31 – [[Immunosuppressant|Immunosuppressive]] effect of [[ciclosporin]] discovered by a team at [[Sandoz]], [[Basel]], under [[Hartmann F. Stähelin]].
* [[Harvey J. Alter]] identifies the presence of [[hepatitis C virus]].
* [[Tu Youyou]] and collaborators obtain a pure extract of the [[antiplasmodial]] drug [[artemisinin]].
* [[Archie Cochrane]] publishes ''Effectiveness and Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health Services'' in the U.K.
* [[John Yudkin]] publishes ''[[Pure, White and Deadly]]'' in the U.K., warning of the dangers of [[sucrose]] in diet.
* The [[1972 Yugoslav smallpox outbreak|last major epidemic of smallpox in Europe]] breaks out in [[Yugoslavia]].