Joseph Erlanger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1874-01-05)January 5, 1874 |
| Died | December 5, 1965(1965-12-05) (aged 91) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley(BS) Johns Hopkins School of Medicine(MD) |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in Medicine (1944) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Wisconsin Washington University School of Medicine |
| Notable students | Herbert Spencer Gasser |
Joseph Erlanger (January 5, 1874 – December 5, 1965) was an Americanphysiologist who is best known for his contributions to the field ofneuroscience. Together withHerbert Spencer Gasser, he identified several varieties ofnerve fiber and established the relationship betweenaction potential velocity and fiber diameter. They were awarded theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1944 for these achievements.[1]
Erlanger was born on January 5, 1874, inSan Francisco,California. His family was Jewish and his parents both immigrated from theKingdom of Württemberg,Germany and met in California during theGold Rush. Joseph was the sixth of seven children born to the couple. He completed hisBachelor of Science in Chemistry from theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 1895. He then completed his M.D. in 1899 from theJohns Hopkins School of Medicine inBaltimore,Maryland, where he finished second in his class.[2]
Upon graduating, Erlanger interned atJohns Hopkins Hospital underWilliam Osler and worked in a physiology laboratory. Erlanger also gave lectures at the school on digestion and metabolism. Erlanger also had an interest incardiology, specifically the way that excitation transferred from theatrium to theventricle and researched withArthur Hirschfelder. Erlanger developed and patented a new type ofsphygmomanometer that could measureblood pressure from thebrachial artery.[3] While working atJohns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1901, Erlanger published a paper on the digestive systems of canines. This paper caught the attention ofWilliam Henry Howell, aphysiology professor atJohns Hopkins School of Medicine. Howell recruited Erlanger as an assistant professor. Erlanger was promoted to associate professor some time before 1906.[2]
In 1906, Erlanger accepted a position as the first chair of physiology at theUniversity of Wisconsin inMadison. In 1910, he left to take a position as professor atWashington University in St. Louis; the St. Louis position offered Erlanger more funding for his projects. Herbert Spencer Gasser, Erlanger's former student at Wisconsin, joined Erlanger's laboratory soon after the move. DuringWorld War I, the pair contributed to the research effort examining the effects ofshock.[4] As part of this work, Erlanger was able to produceheart block in an animal model by clamping thebundle of His and tightening it.[5] Together, they managed to amplify the action potential of abullfrogsciatic nerve in 1922 and published the results in theAmerican Journal of Physiology.[2][6] It is uncertain why the pair had such a sudden shift in interest toneuroscience, as Erlanger was already widely respected in the cardiology field.[7]
Erlanger was elected to the United StatesNational Academy of Sciences in 1922 and theAmerican Philosophical Society in 1927.[8][9]
Erlanger and Gasser were able to modify aWestern Electricoscilloscope to run at low voltages. Prior to this modification, the only method available to measure neural activity was theelectroencephalograph, which could only show large-scale electrical activity. With this technology, they were able to observe that action potentials occurred in two phases—a spike (initial surge) followed by an after-spike (a sequence of slow changes in potential).[10] They discovered thatneurons were found in many forms, each with their own potential for excitability. With this research, the pair discovered that the velocity of action potentials was directly proportional to the diameter of the nerve fiber. The partnership ended in 1931, when Gasser accepted a position atCornell University.[11] In 1944, they won theNobel Prize inMedicine or Physiology for these discoveries.[2]
He died of heart disease on December 5, 1965, atSt. Louis,Missouri.[2] TheJoseph Erlanger House in St. Louis was designated aNational Historic Landmark on December 8, 1976, as a building of national significance.[12] On January 22, 2009, theInternational Astronomical Union named acrater on theMoon after him.[citation needed]
including the Nobel Lecture on December 12, 1946The Discovery of Vitamin K, Its Biological Functions and Therapeutical Application
