Otto Loewi (* 3. June 1873 in Frankfurt/Main; "† 25 December 1961 in New York) was an Austrian-American Pharmakologe. For its discoveries during the chemical transmission of the nerve impulses received it and Henry H. Dale (US) 1936 the Nobelpreis for medicine.

Personal record

Youth and study

Otto Loewi was born on 3 June 1873 in Frankfurt/Main as son of the Jewish wine merchant Jacob Loewi and an Anna Here Loewi visited the urban High School in Frankfurt until 1891 and began then its medicine study at the universities in Munich and Strasbourg. In Strasbourg it became member of the student connection Burschenschaft Germania. As a student visited Loewi however rather rarely the lectures of the medicine, but went frequently into the courses of the philosophical faculty. The anatomical courses formed an exception with Gustav swallow as well as the summer 1893, in which it prepared intensively for its Physikum. Its exam denied it 1894, without up to then its relationship to the medicine would have fundamentally changed.

1896 attained a doctorate Otto Loewi at the university in Strasbourg over the work of Oswald forging mountain, which is considered as one of the fathers of the modern pharmacology. It at this time already accomplished experiments at isolated frog hearts. Besides were among other things the pathologist Berne pool of broadcasting corporations Naunyn as well as Oskar Minkowski and Adolph Magnus Levy, which were responsible for its medical training.

After its graduation busy itself Otto Loewi together with Martin friend in Frankfurt with inorganic and analytic chemistry. Afterwards it worked some months on Institut for biochemistry at Franz yard master in Strasbourg. From 1897 to 1898 Loewi was an assistant of Carl von Noorden at the urban hospital in Frankfurt. Particularly due to its work with patients with far advanced Tuberkulose or pneumonia, who died very frequently without healing chances, Loewi decided against a career as a practical physician. Instead it hit the way of the medical basic research, above all the clinical pharmacology.

From Marburg to Graz

1898 became Otto Loewi assistant of professor Hans refuge Meyer at the university in Marburg and habilitierte in the year 1900, 1904 went here it with Meyer to Vienna. 1905 became Otto Loewi Assistenzprofessor of Meyer at pharmakologischen Institut in Vienna. It accepted the Austrian nationality, whereby it however likewise kept the German.

1907 he became acquainted with Guida Goldschmiedt, the daughter of the chemist Guido Goldschmiedt, and married this 1908. With their it had four children (Hans, Victor, Guido and Anna). 1909 received its own chair for pharmacology at the Karl Franzens university Graz to Loewi.

Already in Marburg the work of Otto Loewi concentrated on the large field of the metabolic research. Its results over the effect of the Phlorizin, which release the Glukosurie, as well as further over the with humans brought it 1900 its first place than private lecturer already. 1901 proved that the animal organism is not able to synthesize from fats coal hydrates 1902 to Loewi published it its PAPER "“over protein synthesis in the animal body"”, in which he shows that animals are able, their proteins on the basis of amino acids themselves to manufacture. For the time at that time this area and knowledge were new ground and it represented thus an important contribution to the nourishing teachings. Likewise 1902 followed the first part of a publication series over experiments for the physiology and pharmacology of the kidney function. In the same year Loewi spent some months in the laboratory of Ernest Starling and worked together with William WAD dock Bayliss. Here Otto Loewi met the first time on Henry Dale, with which it should some years later the Nobelpreis for medicine divide.

After its return to Marburg it concentrated its investigations for kidney function, particularly on the function mode of Diuretika. 1905, after its attitude in Vienna, he took up the questions of the coal hydrate metabolism again. In this context Loewi could prove that a preference of Fruktose arises opposite glucose not only with dogs, for which the pancreas was removed, but also with such experimental animals, with which Glykogen is missing by other circumstances, approximately by a Phosphorvergiftung. Through it he could disprove the hypothesis published by Oskar Minkowski. In addition it could prove that the heart, differently than the liver, cannot store Fruktose. Also the fact that flared out rabbits (those no more Glykogenreserven possess accordingly) reach a normal Glykogenspiegel with the regular injection of adrenalin again, although further hungern, he proved them.

Apart from these research work concerning the coal hydrate metabolism Otto Loewi worked together with Alfred merry on the study of the vegetative nervous system. Its most well-known publication "“over an increase of the adrenalin release by cocaine"” in this area appeared 1910 with the result that already small doses of cocaine strengthen the attraction barness of the pleasantly enervierten organs.

As a professor in Graz Otto Loewi had finally opportunity to prove and cultivate its qualities as speakers and teachers. It continued its studies at the same time to the coal hydrate metabolism and concentrated thereby particularly on the circumstances of the which are released by adrenalin.

The clearing-up of the synapse function and the Nobelpreis

1921 could discover Otto Loewi the chemical forwarding of nerve impulses. It created it to stimulate the Vagusnerven of frog hearts in a saline solution in which different consciously lively hearts lay already before. So Loewi could prove that for the transmission nerve impulse had to be responsible on the heart a chemical material, which it called "“Vagusstoff"” and to which later of Henry Dale than acetyl choline could be identified. He had found and established in this way the first neurotransmitter thereby a research field, which could be gotten going in the subsequent years by him and its colleagues substantial.

Before the discovery of the neurotransmitters this place of the nerve line was perfectly unknown to the implementing organ. One assumed that that there had to be an impulse of the nerves to the organ, like this went was however the subject of a researcher controversy. While a multiplicity as the correct solution regarded an electrical forwarding, there were some scientists such as Otto Loewi, which believed in a chemical transmission. This could prove Loewi due to its experiments now. It made possible thereby also a new understanding for physiological procedures like different paralyses. So Hyoscyamin could be clarified for the material that it works not the nerves but at the receptors in the signal-received synapses. Could be discovered by further attempts also the dismantling acetyl choline by an enzyme, the acetylcholinesterase, as well as the restraining effect of the dismantling by alkaloids.

For these research and results Loewi and Dale 1936 received the Nobelpreis for medicine, since these led to a completely new view of the neuro medicine. According to its own statement the actually very simple experiment with the frog heart in the dream appeared to it.

The time after the Nobelpreis

To 12. March 1938 took over the national socialists under Adolf Hitler Austria. That meanwhile Otto Loewi was arrested as a Jew for some months and pressed to leave the country. Before it had to instruct however the Swedish bank in Stockholm to transfer prize money for the Nobelpreis to a bank which was controlled by the national socialists.

"“Forced by the Nazi of authorities ton leave Austria, I departed from Graz on Septembers 28, 1938, for London. Before leaving, in the presence OF Gestapo men, I had tons of order the Swedish bank in Stockholm ton transfer the Nobel prize money, deposited with the bank in 1936, ton of A prescribed Nazi control LED bank."” (Loewi 1960)

Otto Loewi went as a guest professor to the Libre into Brussels and to the Nuffield of institutes into Oxford, before it accepted there 1940 the offer the New York University and as a professor for pharmacology began a place. He worked here together with George Wallace. 1946 received Otto Loewi the American nationality. It died on 25 December 1961

Honours

Otto Loewi received a number of further international honours for its work beside the Nobelpreis for medicine. Thus he got to the New York University, the Yale University as well as the universities in Graz and in Frankfurt. The moreover he was winner of the "“Physiology Prize"” the Royal Academy OF Sciences OF Bologna, the "“love price"” of the academy of Vienna as well as the "“Cameron Prize"” the University OF Edinburgh (1944). It was honour member of the "“Physiological Society"” in London, the "“Harvey Society"” in New York and the " Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale"” as well as corresponding member of the physician combination in Vienna, the "“Viennese biological society"” and the "“society for the promotion of the natural sciences"” in Marburg. Also to the "“German academy of the natural scientists Leopoldina"” in belonged it resounds. 1954 it became also the member of the "“Royal Society"”.

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