Jan Purkyně | |
|---|---|
 Purkyně in 1856 | |
| Born | 17 or 18 December 1787 |
| Died | 28 July 1869(1869-07-28) (aged 81) |
| Alma mater | University of Prague |
| Known for | Purkinje cells Purkinje effect Purkinje images Purkinje fibres |
| Children | Emanuel,Karel, Rozalie, and Johana |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Anatomy,physiology |
| Institutions | University of Breslau |
Jan Evangelista Purkyně (Czech:[ˈjanˈɛvaŋɡɛˌlɪstaˈpurkɪɲɛ]ⓘ; also writtenJohann Evangelist Purkinje) (17 or 18 December 1787 – 28 July 1869) was a Czechanatomist andphysiologist. In 1839, he coined the term "protoplasma" for the fluid substance of a cell. He was one of the best known scientists of his time. Such was his fame that when people from outside Europe wrote letters to him, all that they needed to put as the address was "Purkyně, Europe".[1]
Purkyně was born in theKingdom of Bohemia (then part of theAustrian monarchy, nowCzech Republic). After completing senior high school in 1804, Purkyně joined thePiarists order as a monk but subsequently left "to deal more freely with science."[2]
In 1818, Purkyně graduated fromCharles University in Prague with a degree in medicine, where he was appointed a Professor of Physiology. He discovered thePurkinje effect, the human eye's much reduced sensitivity to dim red light compared to dim blue light, and published in 1823 description of severalentoptic phenomena. He published two volumes,Observations and Experiments Investigating the Physiology of Senses andNew Subjective Reports about Vision, which contributed to the emergence of the science ofexperimental psychology. He created the world's first Department of Physiology at theUniversity of Breslau inPrussia (now Wrocław, Poland) in 1839 and the world's second official physiology laboratory in 1842. Here he was a founder of theLiterary-Slav Society.
In 1850, he accepted the Physiology chair at Prague Medical Faculty, a position he held until his death.[3]
Purkyně is best known for his 1837 discovery ofPurkinje cells, largeneurons with many branchingdendrites found in thecerebellum. He is also known for his discovery in 1839 ofPurkinje fibres, the fibrous tissue that conducts electrical impulses from theatrioventricular node to all parts of theventricles of the heart. Other discoveries includePurkinje images, reflections of objects from structures of the eye, and thePurkinje shift, the change in the brightness of red and blue colours as light intensity decreases gradually at dusk. Purkyně also introduced the scientific termsplasma (for the component of blood left when the suspended cells have been removed) andprotoplasm (the substance found inside cells.)[4]
Purkyně was the first to use amicrotome to make thin slices of tissue for microscopic examination and was among the first to use an improved version of thecompound microscope. He described the effects ofcamphor,opium,belladonna andturpentine on humans in 1829. He also experimented withnutmeg that same year, when he "washed down three ground nutmegs with a glass of wine and experienced headaches, nausea, euphoria, and hallucinations that lasted several days", which remain a good description of today's average nutmeg binge.[5] Purkyně discoveredsweat glands in 1833 and published a thesis that recognised 9 principal configuration groups offingerprints in 1823.[6][7] Purkyně was also the first to describe and illustrate in 1838 the intracytoplasmic pigmentneuromelanin in thesubstantia nigra.[8] He is also credited with the invention of thecompressorium, a microscopy accessory to apply controlled pressure to specimens under observation.[9][10]
Purkyně also recognised the importance of the work ofEadweard Muybridge. Purkyně constructed his own version of astroboscope which he calledforolyt.[11] He put nine photos of him shot from various sides to the disc and entertained his grandchildren by showing them how he, an old and famous professor, is turning around at great speed.[12]
In 1827, at the age of 40, he married Julia Agnes Rudolphi (1800–1835), daughter of his supporter, the Swedish-born GermannaturalistKarl Asmund Rudolphi (1771–1832). They had two daughters and two sons. His wife and daughters died ofcholera inWrocław, leaving two sons. The older sonEmanuel Purkyně [cs] (1831–1882) became a naturalist, while the younger sonKarel (1834–1868) became a painter.[13]
He is buried in the Prague Vyšehrad National Cemetery inVyšehrad, Prague, in modern-dayCzech Republic.[14]
TheMasaryk University inBrno, Czech Republic, bore his name from 1960 to 1990, as did the standalone military medical academy inHradec Králové (1994–2004). Today a university inÚstí nad Labem bears his name:Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem (Univerzita Jana Evangelisty Purkyně v Ústí nad Labem).[15]
The craterPurkyně on the Moon is named after him,[16] as is theasteroid3701 Purkyně.[17]
Named in memory J. E. Purkyně (1787-1869), professor of physiology in Wrocław and Prague. He discovered the physiological effect, well known to observers of variable stars, that causes comparable variations in brightness to appear more extreme for red light than for blue light.
