Biology and Its Makers: With Portraits and Other IllustrationsLocy, William A. (William Albert)
History
Biology and Its Makers: With Portraits and Other Illustrations
Locy, William A. (William Albert)
Biology -- History
Du Bois-Reymond.--Du Bois-Reymond (Fig. 58), another of his
distinguished pupils, came to occupy the chair which Müller himself
had filled in the University of Berlin, and during the period of his
vigor was in physiology one of the lights of the world. It is no
uncommon thing to find recently published physiologies dedicated either
to the memory of Johannes Müller, as in the case of that remarkable
_General Physiology_ by Verworn; or to Ludwig, or to Du Bois-Reymond,
who were in part his intellectual product. From this disposition among
physiologists to do homage to Müller, we are able to estimate somewhat
more closely the tremendous reach of his influence.
Bernard.--When Müller was twelve years old there was born in
Saint-Julien, department of the Rhône, Claude Bernard, who attained
an eminence as a physiologist, of which the French nation are justly
proud. Although he was little thought of as a student, nevertheless
after he came under the influence of Magendie, at the age of
twenty-six, he developed rapidly and showed his true metal. He
exhibited great manual dexterity in performing experiments, and also a
luminous quality of mind in interpreting his observations. One of his
greatest achievements in physiology was the discovery of the formation
within the liver of glycogen, a substance chemically related to sugar.
Later he discovered the system of vaso-motor nerves that control and
regulate the caliber of the blood-vessels. Both of these discoveries
assisted materially in understanding the wonderful changes that are
going on within the human body. But besides his technical researches,
any special consideration of which lies quite beyond the purpose of
this book, he published in 1878-1879 a work upon the phenomena of
life in animals and vegetables, a work that had general influence
in extending the knowledge of vital activities. I refer to his now
classic _Leçons sur les Phénomènes de la vie communs aux animaux et aux
végétaux_.
The thoughtful face of Bernard is shown in his portrait, Fig. 59. He
was one of those retiring, silent men whose natures are difficult to
fathom, and who are so frequently misunderstood. A domestic infelicity,
that led to the separation of himself from his family, added to his
isolation and loneliness. When touched by the social spirit he charmed
people by his personality. He was admired by the Emperor Napoleon
Third, through whose influence Bernard acquired two fine laboratories.
In 1868 he was elected to the French Academy, and became thereby one of
the "Forty Immortals."
[Illustration: Fig. 59.--Claude Bernard, 1813-1878.]
Foster describes him thus: "Tall in stature, with a fine presence,
with a noble head, the eyes full at once of thought and kindness, he
drew the look of observers upon him wherever he appeared. As he walked
in the streets passers-by might be heard to say 'I wonder who that is;
he must be some distinguished man.'"
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