Johann friedrich miescher biography examples

(b. City, Switzerland, 13 August ; d. Davos, Switzerland, 26 August )

physiology, physiological chemistry.

Shortly after his ancestry Miescher (who was known importation Fritz because his father perforate the same names) was tied up with his family to integrity Bernese Emmental, where his dad had just been appointed university lecturer of pathological anatomy at integrity University of Bern.

When limited canton politics caused the major Miescher’s resignation in , say publicly family returned to Basel, position Miescher excelled at the Gym and in the musical volley to which his father become calm his uncle, Wilhelm His, Sr., belonged, together with the famed chemist C. F. Schönbein.

Apart take from a semester spent at Göttingen Mieseher remained in Basel, situation he qualified in He at that time did research on the story of pus cells, working loaded Hoppe-Seyler’s laboratory at Tübingen (from to ).

From there crystal-clear went to Carl Ludwig’s physical institute in Leipzig (from slate ), and finally returned come close to Basel for the Habilitation. Divert he was appointed to rendering chair of physiology at rank University of Basel, which locked away been vacated by his penman. There he worked to dissociate nuclein from the sperm heads of Rhine salmon and in the neighborhood of solve the mystery of distinction fasting-reproductive stage of the man's.

His resources were meager, illustrious working conditions poor. When rank effects of tuberculosis necessitated regulation in a sanatorium, Miescher old the opportunity to study prestige effects of altitude on influence constitution of the blood contemporary observed the increase in position blood count of erythrocytes obey increasing altitude.

In the school built an institute for him, the Vesalianum, where he was joined by Bunge.

Miescher was slight unimpressive teacher and an many times obscure writer. His subtle gesture demanded caution and qualifications; fillet indecision over the rival claims of physical and of man-made reductionism, coupled with his care of cytology, prevented him non-native unifying that subject with immunology, as he had sought correspond with do.

Miescher nonetheless had brainstorm eye for a good attention and for appropriate research material; he was observant and diligent, and if he sought cluster achieve more than the outdistance techniques of his day could allow, he established a course for physiological chemistry that successors eagerly exploited.

Miescher’s first move most important discovery was far-out new class of compounds prosperous in organic phosphorus and direction the major constituent of can nuclei.

He rightly concluded walk these “nucleins,” as he entitled them, were as important smashing center of metabolic activity reorganization the proteins. The product take action obtained from the pepsin absorption of pus cells in was nucleohistone; five years later fair enough isolated a purer form insinuate nuclein from salmon spermatozoa impressive demonstrated the saltlike union mid its two major constituents, insinuation acid fraction (“pure nuclein,” respectful DNA) and a basic section (which he called “protamine” humbling regarded as an alkaloid, somewhat than a protein).

He weigh up to others the task range establishing the detailed chemical layout of these compounds, and her highness own knowledge of them was limited to their solubility subsidy, elementary components, and reactions implements histochemical tests.

Instead Miescher preferred the formation of large galore of nuclein by the mortal salmon during the fasting age.

He concluded that this career is achieved only at rendering expense of the trunk beefiness of the fish, and advisable that these muscles are more and more decomposed or “liquidated” because clone reduced oxygen supply. He supplementary attempted to trace these inconstancy at the chemical level, thereby providing a remarkable early instance of the “dynamic biochemistry” ditch F.

G. Hopkins later advocated. (Miescher’s effort was, however, poor in that it encouraged bareness in persistent attempts to feint that nucleic acids are development from proteins; these researches break off turn fostered a false pose of nucleic acids as compounds formed between proteins and element acid.)

In histochemistry Miescher established precise clear chemical distinction between representation nucleus and cytoplasm, based concealment the presence of nuclein dilemma the nucleus, a distinction delay supporters of the chemical possibility of staining gladly embraced.

Miescher’s own parallel studies of representation staining reactions of the spermatozoa were in conflict with say publicly results achieved by Walther Flemming and P. Schweigger-Seidel, however, obscure thus lent credence to those who, like Albert Fischer, sought-after to discredit the chemical conception of staining altogether.

Miescher’s interpretation break into fertilization vacillated between the outstanding physicalist reductionism of his knob and the chemical theory renounce his own work suggested.

No problem was never able to receive the notion that the structures revealed by cytological staining responsibility themselves carried by the gamete into the egg to present to the structure of position embryo. Miescher saw this geomorphological theory, as Hertwig called crimson, as flying in the manifestation of the reductionist program appeal which he was committed.

Miescher dull of tuberculosis before he abstruse completed his last paper relocate nuclein.

A full account criticize his studies on this was compiled and published by Chemist Schmiedeberg.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Original Works. All honor Miescher’s papers and a verdict of his letters will replica found in Die histochemischen disconcert physiologischen Arbeiten von Friedrich Miescher. Gesammelt und herausgegeben von seinen Freunden (Leipzig, ), His inquiry on the isolation of nuclein from pus is “Ueber submit chemische Zusammensetzung der Eiterzellen,” house F.

Hoppe-Seyler’s Medisch-chemische Untersuchungen, IV (Berlin, ), – His precede publication on salmon nuclein decay “Die Spermatozoen einiger Wirbelthiere. Ein Beitrag zur Histochemie,” in Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel, 6 (). –; his first name and posthumous paper was ’Physiologisch-chemische Untersuchungen über die Lachsmilch von F.

Miescher, nach den hinterlassenen Aufzeichnungen und Versuchsprotokollen des Autors und herausgegeben von O. Schmiedeberg,” in Archiv für experimentelle Pathologie und Pharmakologie, 37 (), –

II. Secondary Literature. The clearest dispatch note of Miescher’s work on rendering chemistry of the nucleus go over the main points by A.

Mirsky, “The Origination of DNA,” in Scientific American, (), 78– Biographical file is in M. de Meuron-Landot, “Friedrich Miescher, l’homme qui top-hole découvert les acides nucléiques,” dilemma Histoire de la médecine, 15 (), 2– Earlier studies keep you going the following: K. Spiro, Zur Erinnerung an Schönbein, Miescher cloak-and-dagger Bunge (Basel, ), originally promulgated in Basler Nachrichten, 12 tell 19 Feb.

; J. Proprietor. Greenstein, “Friedrich Miescher, – Settler developer of Nuclear Chemistry,” in Scientific Monthly, 57 (), – Goodness best obituary notice is Simple. Jaquet, “Professor Friedrich Miescher Nachruf,” in Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel, 11 (), – Further information is contained play a part F.

Suter et al., Friedrich Miescher, – Vorträge gehalten anlässlich der Feier zum hunderte Geburtstag von Professor Friedrich Miescher sight der Aula der Universität Basle am 15 Juni (Basel, ); and in Helvetica physiologica et pharmacologica acta, supp. 2 ().

Robert Olby