Berta Vogel Scharrer | |
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| Born | Berta Vogel December 1, 1906 Munich, Germany |
| Died | July 23, 1995(1995-07-23) (aged 88) |
| Nationality | German |
| Citizenship | Germany; United States |
| Alma mater | University of Munich |
| Known for | Pioneering work in neuroendocrinology |
| Awards | National Medal of Science |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neuroendocrinology |
Berta Vogel Scharrer (December 1, 1906 – July 23, 1995) was an American scientist who helped to found the scientific discipline now known asneuroendocrinology.[1]
She received her Ph.D. from theUniversity of Munich, Germany in 1930.[2] She worked at the university with ProfessorKarl von Frisch, who shared theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973 for his work with bees. After completing her education, Berta and her husband, Ernst Scharrer embarked on a remarkable scientific career together. Their journey began at the Research Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, where Berta focused on the study of spirochaete infections in the brains of birds and amphibians.
Berta Scharrer was forced to emigrate at the onset of theHolocaust in 1937. She arrived with Ernst in the United States with a total of eight dollars. Ernst had secured aRockefeller Fellowship at theUniversity of Chicago and Berta continued her research, initially working withDrosophila and later with cockroaches and related species for the remainder of her research career. The couple's academic journey took them to various institutions, with Ernst accepting academic appointments that determined their locations. Throughout their career, they conducted groundbreaking research onneurosecretion, investigating the connection between the nervous and endocrine systems. Berta specialized in the study of invertebrates, while Ernst focused on vertebrates.[2]
In 1955, they founded the Department of Anatomy at theAlbert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. It was at this point that Berta received her first salaried academic appointment, and she played an integral role in the department, not only as a scientist but also as a dedicated teacher.[3]
As her career progressed, Berta made significant contributions to the study of neuropeptides andneuroimmunology, entering these emerging fields in her later years and serving as the associate editor of the journalAdvances in Immunology.[4] She continued her research until her death in 1995 at the age of 88.
Berta received numerous awards and honors throughout her career, including theNational Medal of Science from PresidentRonald Reagan in 1983. Her work left a lasting impact on the fields of neurobiology and endocrinology, and she continues to be respected and influential among anatomists.[5]
Berta Vogel Scharrer was born December 8, 1906, in Munich, Germany, into a prosperous, well-educated family. Her father, Karl Phillip Vogel was a judge serving as vice president of the Federal Court of Bavaria. As a young student she became interested in biology, and knew she wanted to be a biologist from a young age.[2]
Berta Vogel married Ernst Scharrer in 1934. They met as graduate students working under von Frisch. The couple fled Germany in 1937,Ernst accepting a Rockefeller Fellowship at theUniversity of Chicago; they became U.S. citizens in 1945.[6]
Ernst died in 1965 in a swimming accident. The couple had no children.[7]
Scharrer conducted research and taught at Einstein College until her retirement in 1995, five months before her death at age 88.[7]
Scharrer was elected a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1967.[8] She earned honorary degrees from various universities, including one fromHarvard in 1982,[7]"as well as a nomination for a Nobel Prize for her pioneering research in brain chemicals". In 1983, she was awarded theNational Medal of Science by President Reagan, for "demonstrating the central role ofneurosecretion andneuropeptides in the integration of animal function and development."[9]
Scharrer's studies of invertebrates, particularly cockroaches, was so extensive that her name was given to a species ofcockroach, known as theEscala scharrerae, found inAustralasia.[1][3] Scharrer was awarded theSchleiden Medal in 1983 and was a member of the National Academy of Sciences.[10]
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