In three well-crafted stories, Nathaniel Herzberg of Le Monde told his readers about the decline of the stethoscope as the undisputed symbol of the working physician; the efforts of scientists since the time of the ancient Greeks to understand the migration and metamorphoses of the European eel that crosses the Atlantic twice during its life cycle; and the diminished allure of mice as experimental subjects for the study of human diseases. Tim Radford, former science editor of The Guardian, called the Silver Award winner's work "a triptych of elegant studies in essay form." Regarding the piece on the stethoscope, he noted: "Who knew how much history lay in that iconic length of tubing?" Christina Horsten, a correspondent for Deutsche Presse-Agentur, said Herzberg produced "three beautiful pieces based on solid research." Herzberg said his stories dealt "with obviousness that is not obvious…the stethoscope as the eternal symbol of doctors, mice as our best animal model, eels as simple, almost boring, river fishes. Going behind these evident facts was a great adventure."
