Robert Remak | |
|---|---|
 Remakc. 1850-1855 | |
| Born | 12 July 1815 |
| Died | 29 August 1865(1865-08-29) (aged 50) |
| Alma mater | University of Berlin |
| Known for | Ectoderm,mesoderm andendoderm |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Embryology Physiology Neurology |
| Doctoral advisor | Ferdinand Georg Frobenius Hermann Amandus Schwarz |
Robert Remak (26 July 1815 – 29 August 1865) was anembryologist,physiologist andneurologist, born inPosen, Prussia, who discovered that the origin of cells was by thedivision of pre-existing cells.[1] as well as several other key discoveries.
According to historianPaul Weindling,Rudolf Virchow, one of the founders of modern cell theory, plagiarized Remak's notion that all cells come from pre-existing cells.[2] Remak had concluded this after observing red blood cells from chicken embryos in various stages of division. He then confirmed that the phenomenon existed in the cell of every frog's egg immediately after fertilization, proving that this was a universal phenomenon and finally explaining the reason for the results of tests byLouis Pasteur which had previously proved that there exists no spontaneous generation of life.[3]
Remak obtained his medical degree fromFriedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin (nowHumboldt University of Berlin) in 1838 specializing in neurology.[4] He is best known for reducingKarl Ernst von Baer's fourgerm layers to three: theectoderm,mesoderm, andendoderm. He also discovered unmyelinatingSchwann cells that surround peripheral nerve fibres, now named Remak cells, and the nerve cells in the heart sometimes calledRemak's ganglia. He studied underJohannes Müller at the University of Berlin.
Despite his accomplishments, because he was aJew, he was repeatedly denied full professor status, and finally late in life was appointed assistant professor, being the first Jew to teach in that institute. Even then he was never fully recognized for his discoveries.[5][6]
His sonErnst Julius Remak was also a neurologist and his grandson was the mathematicianRobert Remak who died inAuschwitz in 1942.
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