Scientists - Biologists/Physicians

Galen (Ancient Rome)

His work on anatomy and medicine dominated western medical science until the mid 16th century.

"That the Best Physician is also a Philosopher"

Followed the four humors theory of medicine, and promoted Hippocratic teaching.

First to demonstrate the larynx generates voice, performed dissections on primates and pigs.

"On the Doctrines of Hippocrates and Plato"

Theophrastus (Ancient Greek)

Succeeded Aristotle as head of the Lyceum

"Enquiry into Plants", "On the Causes of Pants"; Considered the "Father of Botany"; made the first systemization of the botanical world.

Observed germination and recognized the significant of climate to plants.

Andreas Vesalius (1530 Dutch)

"On the fabric of the human body in seven books"; Founder of modern human anatomy.

"Tabulae anatomicae sex"; six detailed illustrations of anatomy for his students

Disproved many of Galen's assertions for the first time.

Andreas Vesalius (1530 Dutch)

Discovered that the mandible was just 1 bone; "The Basel Skeleton", world's oldest surviving anatomical preparation.

Discovered the sternum consisted of only three parts; disproved woman had one fewer rib than men; found the tibia and fibula are larger than the humorous; "muscle men"; disproved Galen's mode of the heart and made other discoveries in the circulatory system; described a nerve as the mode of transmitting sensation and motion; found that nerves were not hollow.

William Harvey (1610 English)

He was the first to describe completely, and in detail, pulmonary and systemic circulation as well as the specific process of blood being pumped to the brain and the rest of the body by the heart.

Physician to King James I.

"De Motu Cordis"; "On Animal Generation";

Francesco Redi (1660 Italian)

"Founder of experimental biology"; "Father of modern parasitology"; He was the first person to challenge the theory of spontaneous generation by demonstrating that maggots come from the eggs of flies.

"Experiments on the Generation of Insects"

"All life comes from life"

Francesco Redi (1660 Italian)

Disproved that vipers can drink wine and could break glasses, and that their venom was poisonous when ingested.

Observed snake venom was produce in fangs.

"Observations on Vipers"

First to recognize and correctly describe details of 180 parasites; distinguished earthworms from helminths; possibly originated the use of the control.

Poetry- "Bacchus in Tuscany"

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1670 Dutch)

He was the first to observe and experiment on microbes and relatively determine their size.

He was the first to document microscopic observations of muscle fibers, bacteria, spermatozoa, red blood cells, crystals in gouty tophi, and among the first to see blood flow in capillaries.

"Father of Microbiology"

'animalcules', English translation of the word he used to describe microbes.

Discovered the vacuole of the cell

Carolus Linnaeus (1750 Swedish)

Traveled to Lapland. "Flora Lapponica" used his classification system for 534 species found in this expedition, mainly plants.

"Prince of Botanists", "Pliny of the North", "Father of modern taxonomy", "Father of modern ecology"

"Flora Suecica", "Fauna Suecica"; "Systema Naturae": tenth addition established itself as the starting point for zoological nomenclature.

His work marks the starting point of the use of binomial nomenclature for the classification of species and established the universally accepted conventions for naming organisms.

Established the system of taxonomy still used today, although the modern version has some additions.

His system of taxonomy was the first to group humans with apes.

Carolus Linnaeus (1750 Swedish)

"Genera Plantarum", "Philosophia Botanica"; divided plants by the number of pistils and stamens. "Systema Naturae" described a new system for classifying plants and animals. "Species Plantarum" is now internationally accepted as the starting point of modern botanical nomenclature.

Carolus Linnaeus (1750 Swedish)

His remains constitute the type specimen for Homo Sapiens.

Reverted the Celsius scale to its present usage.

"Nutrix Noverca" advocated against upper class women using wet nurses to breast feed their babies.

Luigi Galvani (1780 Italian)

Using a frog, he discovered that the muscles of dead frog's legs twitched when struck by an electrical spark. Volta refuted that this was caused by specific electrically intrinsic part of the frog and was because of the metal he used. His name as a verb means to coat with a protective layer of zinc. His name is used to refer to many different things in electrochemistry, ex. a cell named for him or Volta and the electrical potential difference between two points in the bulk of two phases among other things.

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1810 French)

"Flore francoise"; He coined the term invertebrates and was the first one to use 'biology' in a modern sense. Did work on the classification of invertebrates.

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1810 French)

"Philosophie zoologique"; where he described inheritance of acquired characteristics, also sometimes wrongly named for him, which is the notion that an organism can pass on to its offspring physical characteristics that the parent organism acquired through use or disuse during its lifetime. He incorporated this theory to supplement his theory of othrogenesis.

Ex. giraffes developed their elongated necks and front legs by generations of browsing on high tree leaves. The exercise of stretching up to the leaves altered the neck and legs, and their offspring inherited these acquired characteristics.

Robert Brown (1820 Scottish)

Traveled to Australia on the investigator to perform botanical work and identification. Collected over 3400 species about 2000 of which were previously unknown, and named many genera of plants found in western Australia, as well as the rest of the continent.

Robert Brown (1820 Scottish)

His namesake motion is described as the random motion of particles suspended in a fluid, which he observed while looking at the pollen of a plant suspended in water under a microscope, then observed using inorganic matter.

Robert Brown (1820 Scottish)

He named the cell nucleus and had one of the earliest descriptions of it as well as cytoplasmic streaming.

He was the first to recognize the difference between gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Louis Agassiz (1830 Swiss-American)

He was the first person to propose that the Earth was once subject to an ice age.

Wrote prolifically about polygenism, the theory that different races originated from different places.

Known for his contributions to icthyological classification, mainly of extinct species, Ex. the megalodon.

Louis Agassiz (1830 Swiss-American)

"Research on Fossil Fish"; "Critical Studies on Fossil Mollusks"; "Studies on Glaciers"

Adolf Fick (1830 German)

His namesake laws say that 1. Movement of particles from high to low concentration is directly proportional to the particle's concentration gradient. 2. A prediction of change in concentration gradient with time due to diffusion.

They can be used to solve for the diffusion coefficient, the second law is identical to the diffusion equation.

Adolf Fick (1830 German)

His namesake principle states that blood flow to an organ can be calculated using a marker substance if you know: amount of marker substance taken up by organ per unit time, concentration of marker substance in arterial blood supplying the organ, concentration of marker substance in venous blood leaving the organ.

It has been applied to the measurement of cardiac output.

His nephew invented the contact lens.

Hermann von Helmholtz (1840 German)

The largest German association of research institutions is named in his honor.

Taught Heinrich Hertz, Max Planck, Albert Michelson, Wilhelm Wien, Gabriel Lippmann, and Wilhelm Wundt.

Helped popularize the idea of the heat death of the universe.

Hermann von Helmholtz (1840 German)

Invented the ophthalmoscope. "Handbook of Physiological Optics" or "Treatise on Physiological Optics" provided empirical theories on depth perception, color vision, and motion perception. Described the importance of unconscious inferences.

Measured the speed at which a signal is carried along a nerve fiber.

He invented his namesake resonator to identify the various frequencies or pitches of the pure sine wave components of complex sounds containing multiple tones. Showed that different combinations of resonators could mimic vowel sounds.

The 'double layer' is also named for him.

Charles Darwin (1860 English)

He was buried in Westminster Abbey

"On the Origin of Species"

Known for his proposition that all life descended from a common ancestor. Introduced that this occurred by a process called natural selection.

Charles Darwin (1860 English)

"The Voyage of the Beagle" Formulated his idea of evolution soon after a five year voyage on the HMS Beagle where he traveled to places such as the Falkland Islands, the Galapagos Islands, and Mauritius.

"The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex" described human evolution and sexual selection.

"The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals"

Gregor Mendel (1860 Austrian-Czech)

Law of Segregation and Law of Independent assortment. "Experiments on Plant Hybridization".

His pea plant experiments established many of the rules of heredity, now referred to as the laws of Mendelian inheritance.

"Father of Modern Genetics"

Gregor Mendel (1860 Austrian-Czech)

Was a Catholic monk in St. Thomas' Abbey, Brno. Joined the order of St Augustine.

Coined the terms recessive and dominant. His work demonstrated the actions of invisible "factors": genes.

His namesake paradox: His reported data are, statistically speaking, too good to be true, yet "everything we know about him suggests that he was unlikely to engage in either deliberate fraud or in an unconscious adjustment of his observations"

Thomas Huxley (1860 English)

Known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Darwin's theory of evolution.

1860 Oxford evolution debate with Samuel Wilberforce led to widespread acceptance of the theory of evolution.

Did much work in developing scientific education in Britain.

Thomas Huxley (1860 English)

Coined the terms abiogenesis and biogenesis. Also coined the word 'agnosticism'. Did work on comparative anatomy and concluded that birds evolved from small carnivorous dinosaurs.

Launched the 'X club', a dining club composed of like minded people working to advance the cause of science.

Alfred Russel Wallace (1870 English)

Independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection along with Charles Darwin, which resulted in Darwin's publication of On the Origin of Species as opposed to the big species book.

Alfred Russel Wallace (1870 English)

"Mans Place in the Universe" was the first serious attempt by a biologist to evaluate the likelihood of life on other planets.

His namesake effect is a process of speciation where natural selection increases the reproductive isolation between two populations of species, aka reinforcement.

His namesake line is the faunal divide that separates the Indonesian archipelago into two distinct parts: a western portion where animals are largely Asian in origin and an eastern portion where animals are largely Australasian in origin

"Father of Zoogeography" "Father of Biogeography"

Johannes Friedrich Miescher (1870 Swedish)

He was the first person to isolate the nucleic acid and identified protamine, which can be used as protamine sulfate in the stabilization of insulin.

Demonstrated that carbon dioxide concentrations in blood regulate breathing.

Robert Koch (1880 German)

Discovered the specific causative agents of tuberculosis, cholera, and anthrax, regarded as one of the main founds of bacteriology.

Known for his rivalry with Pasteur.

"Father of Microbiology"(with Pasteur) "Father of Medical Bacteriology" Provided proofs for the germ theory of diseases.

Robert Koch (1880 German)

Invented the bacterial culture method using agar and glass plates.

His namesake postulates are four generalized medical principles to ascertain the relationship of pathogens with specific diseases.

Received the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for his research on TB.

He was the first to use an oil immersion lens and dispenser and the first to use photography for microscopic observation.

Hugo de Vries (1890 Dutch)

"Intracellular Pangenesis" He suggested the concept of genes, and rediscovered the laws of heredity while unaware of Mendel's work.

"The Mutation Theory" Introduced the term mutation and developed the mutation theory of evolution. He was also the first to suggest the occurrence of recombination.

Wilhelm Weinberg (1900 German)

A law named for him and Hardy states that allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of other evolutionary influences.

Wilhelm Weinberg (1900 German)

Pioneered in studies of twins, was the first to explain the effect of ascertainment bias on observations in genetics and produced methods to correct for it.

Recognized that ascertainment was responsible for a phenomenon known as anticipation.

Karl Landsteiner (1900 Austrian-American)

Discovered and isolated the polio virus.

Identified the three blood groups. His findings led to the first successful blood transplant. Received the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for this discovery.

Also identified the Rhesus factor.

Orator F. Cook (1900 American)

Worked on cotton and rubber cultivation.

Coined the term speciation to describe the process by which new species arise from existing ones.

Wilhelm Johannsen (1900 Danish)

Coined the terms gene, genotype, and phenotype. Proved the consistency of the genome.

Thomas Hunt Morgan (1920 American)

He won the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for discoveries elucidating the role the chromosome plays in heredity.

Demonstrated that genes are carried on chromosomes and are the mechanical basis of heredity while experimenting with fruit flies(drosophilia melanogaster) in his 'fly room'.

Hypothesized the phenomenon of crossing over.

Established fruit flies as the genetic model organism.

Otto Meyerhof (1920 German) + Jakub Karol Parnas (1940 Polish-Soviet) + Gustav Embden (1940 German)

Their namesake pathway is the most common type of glycolysis. The first of these three won the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for the discovery of the relationship between oxygen consumption and the production of lactic acid.

Alexander Fleming (1940 Scottish)

Won the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine with Howard Florey and Ernst Chain for "the single greatest victory ever achieved against disease", the discovery of penicillin, specifically winning it for the discovery of penicillin G.

Alexander Fleming (1940 Scottish)

Discovered the enzyme lysozyme and was knighted in 1944.

Found that antiseptics were ineffective on deep wounds. His namesake myth is the incident where he was the only one attributed with the discovery of penicillin despite the fact it was an effort by the Oxford team not just him, he called it his namesake myth himself.

Ernst Mayr (1940 American)

"Systematics and the Origin of Species" His work led to the modern evolutionary synthesis of Mendelian genetics, systematics, and Darwinian evolution. He was the first to suggest a species as a group that can only breed among themselves. Was the first to summarize allopatric(peripatric) speciation.

Melvin Calvin (1950 American) + Andrew Benson (1950 American) + James Bassham (1950 American)

They were awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery of the light independent reactions of photosynthesis.

James Watson (1950 American)

"Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science"

Began his research with the "Phage" group

Won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine with Crick and Wilkins for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material.

Discovered the double helix structure of DNA.

Francis Crick (1950 American)

Did work on the synthesis of amino acids from DNA and RNA.

Widely known for his use of the term "central dogma"

Won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine with Watson and Wilkins for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material.

Discovered the double helix structure of DNA.

Hans Krebs (1950 German-British)

Developed a buffer for studying blood flow in arteries.

Discovered the urea cycle(urea is the main way in which the body excretes nitrogen), the first metabolic cycle to be discovered with Kurt Henseleit.

Discovered the glyoxylate cycle with Hans Kornberg, a variation of the citric acid cycle found in plants, bacteria, protists, and fungi.

Hans Krebs (1950 German-British)

Won the 1953 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for his discovery of a cycle with William Arthur Johnson that is sometimes named for him, also called the citric acid cycle.

Jane Goodall (1960 English)

Named a United Nations messenger of peace, founder of the roots and shoots program.

She is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzee's. Found that humans weren't the only species with complex personalities. Also showing that more than just humans could use tools, and that chimps aren't vegetarians. She is the only human to ever be accepted into chimp society.

Rachel Carson (1960 American)

"Under the Sea Wind"; "The Sea Around Us"; "The Edge of the Sea"; constitute her sea trilogy which follows various maritime life and is a description of maritime ecology, credited with advancing marine conservation.

Rachel Carson (1960 American)

Her book "Silent Spring" documented the environmental harm caused by indiscriminate use of DDT, resulting in the ban of DDT and other pesticides, and helped inspire a movement which led to the creation of the EPA

Robert Paine (1960 American)

Coined the keystone species concept to explain the relationship between Pisaster Ochraceus, a species of starfish, and Mytilus californianus, a species of mussel. His research helped popularize field manipulation experiments.

Lynn Margulis (1960 American)

Was the primary modern proponent for the significance of symbiosis in evolution and is credited with formulating the endosymbiosis theory.

Proposed the evolution of cells with nuclei to have been the result of symbiotic mergers of bacteria.

Co-developed the gaia hypothesis with James Lovelock

Was the principle defender and promulgator of the five kingdoms classification.

Married to Carl Sagan from 1957-1964.

James Lovelock (1970 English)

Proposed the gaia hypothesis along with Lynn Margulis.

performed cryopreservation experiments on rodents and invented the electron capture detector which he used to detect the widespread presence of cfc's in the atmosphere.

Strong advocate for use of nuclear power.

Gertrude B. Elion (1980 American)

Won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine with George Hitchings and James Black for their use of innovative methods of rational drug design and for the developments of new drugs, her work led to the creation of AZT, the first drug widely used to combat AIDS.

Developed the first immunosuppressive drug, azathioprine, used in organ transplants, and the first successful antiviral drug, ACV, used in the treatment of herpres. Developed the first anti-cancer drugs. Her research also contributed to many more drugs used for various purposes.