Ernst T. Krebs
Encyclopedia
Ernst T. Krebs, Jr. was an American
biochemist. He is known for promoting various substances as alternative cures for cancer, including pangamic acid
and amygdalin
. He also co-patented the semi-synthetic chemical compound closely related to amygdalin named Laetrile, which was also promoted as a cancer preventitive and cure. His medical claims about these compounds are not supported by scientific evidence and are widely considered quackery
.
, on May 17, 1911. His father was Ernst Krebs, Sr., a physician
who promoted a syrup as treatment for various ailments which was later deemed fraudulent, seized, and destroyed, and later promoted the enzyme chymotrypsin
as a cancer remedy. Krebs, Jr. would ultimately work closely with his father in promoting Laetrile and pangamic acid.
Krebs attended Hahnemann Medical College for three years, including one year spent repeating the first year but was expelled. Krebs later attended college in various states including Mississippi, California and Tennessee and ultimately received a Bachelor of Arts
degree from the University of Illinois. Although he claimed to have a Ph. D. from the University of Illinois, and his supporters often refer to him as "Dr. Krebs," his only doctoral degree was an honorary degree
from the now defunct American Christian College in Tulsa, OK, which was a small bible college
not accredited
to award any advanced degrees. He would later spend two years doing graduate work in anatomy, but was dismissed for "his pursuit of what was deemed unorthodox."
He died at his home in San Francisco, California on September 8, 1996. He was not related to Hans Adolf Krebs
, the biochemist known for discovering the Krebs cycle.
from undifferentiated cells called trophoblasts. Krebs Sr. revived this theory by the embryologist Beard from Scotland to promote one of his cancer cures, chymotrypsin. Although this theory had been rejected by cancer researchers, Krebs Jr. nevertheless incorporated this theory as one of the explanations for the mechanism of action for Laetrile against cancer cells as well. This mechanism was subsequently abandoned as he later claimed Laetrile was instead a vitamin
.
initially isolated from the seeds of the tree Prunus dulcis, also known as bitter almonds, by Pierre-Jean Robiquet and A. F. Boutron-Charlard in 1830, and subsequently investigated by Liebig
and Wöhler in 1830, and others.
It was promoted in a modified form called Laetrile as a cancer cure
by Ernst T. Krebs, Jr. under the name "Vitamin B17", but studies have found it to be ineffective. It is also not a vitamin, and can cause cyanide poisoning. The promotion of laetrile to treat cancer has been described in the scientific literature as a canonical example of quackery, with Irving Lerner of the University of Minnesota
describing it as "the slickest, most sophisticated, and certainly the most remunerative cancer quack promotion in medical history."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
biochemist. He is known for promoting various substances as alternative cures for cancer, including pangamic acid
Pangamic acid
Pangamic acid, also called pangamate, is the name given to the chemical compound described as d-gluconodimethylamino acetic acid, initially promoted by Ernst T. Krebs, Sr. and his son Ernst T. Krebs, Jr. as a medicinal compound for use in treatment of a wide range of diseases...
and amygdalin
Amygdalin
Amygdalin , C20H27NO11, is a glycoside initially isolated from the seeds of the tree Prunus dulcis, also known as bitter almonds, by Pierre-Jean Robiquet...
. He also co-patented the semi-synthetic chemical compound closely related to amygdalin named Laetrile, which was also promoted as a cancer preventitive and cure. His medical claims about these compounds are not supported by scientific evidence and are widely considered quackery
Quackery
Quackery is a derogatory term used to describe the promotion of unproven or fraudulent medical practices. Random House Dictionary describes a "quack" as a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, or...
.
Biography
Krebs was born in Carson City, NevadaNevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, on May 17, 1911. His father was Ernst Krebs, Sr., a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who promoted a syrup as treatment for various ailments which was later deemed fraudulent, seized, and destroyed, and later promoted the enzyme chymotrypsin
Chymotrypsin
Chymotrypsin is a digestive enzyme that can perform proteolysis. Chymotrypsin preferentially cleaves peptide amide bonds where the carboxyl side of the amide bond is a tyrosine, tryptophan, or phenylalanine. These amino acids contain an aromatic ring in their sidechain that fits into a...
as a cancer remedy. Krebs, Jr. would ultimately work closely with his father in promoting Laetrile and pangamic acid.
Krebs attended Hahnemann Medical College for three years, including one year spent repeating the first year but was expelled. Krebs later attended college in various states including Mississippi, California and Tennessee and ultimately received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from the University of Illinois. Although he claimed to have a Ph. D. from the University of Illinois, and his supporters often refer to him as "Dr. Krebs," his only doctoral degree was an honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from the now defunct American Christian College in Tulsa, OK, which was a small bible college
Bible college
Bible colleges are institutions of higher education that specialize in biblical studies. Curriculum is Bible-based and differs from that of liberal arts colleges or research universities. Bible colleges generally exclude the study of philosophy, unlike seminaries and theological colleges...
not accredited
Accreditation
Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...
to award any advanced degrees. He would later spend two years doing graduate work in anatomy, but was dismissed for "his pursuit of what was deemed unorthodox."
He died at his home in San Francisco, California on September 8, 1996. He was not related to Hans Adolf Krebs
Hans Adolf Krebs
Sir Hans Adolf Krebs was a German-born British physician and biochemist. Krebs is best known for his identification of two important metabolic cycles: the urea cycle and the citric acid cycle...
, the biochemist known for discovering the Krebs cycle.
Cancer theory
Krebs advocated the view, first introduced in 1902 by John Beard and revived by Krebs and his father in the 1940s and 1950s, that all forms of cancer ariseCarcinogenesis
Carcinogenesis or oncogenesis is literally the creation of cancer. It is a process by which normal cells are transformed into cancer cells...
from undifferentiated cells called trophoblasts. Krebs Sr. revived this theory by the embryologist Beard from Scotland to promote one of his cancer cures, chymotrypsin. Although this theory had been rejected by cancer researchers, Krebs Jr. nevertheless incorporated this theory as one of the explanations for the mechanism of action for Laetrile against cancer cells as well. This mechanism was subsequently abandoned as he later claimed Laetrile was instead a vitamin
Vitamin
A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...
.
Pangamic acid
Pangamic acid, also called "pangamate," and "vitamin B15," is the name given to the chemical compound described as d-gluconodimethylamino acetic acid with the empirical formula C10H19O8N and purportedly isolated from apricot seeds. It was initially promoted by Ernst T. Krebs, Sr. and his son Ernst T. Krebs, Jr. as a medicinal compound for use in treatment of a wide range of diseases. They also termed this chemical "Vitamin B15," though it is not a true vitamin, has no nutritional value, has no known use in the long term treatment of any disease and has been called a "quack remedy." Although a number of compounds labelled "pangamic acid" have been studied or sold, no chemical compound, including those claimed by the Krebses to be pangamic acid, has been scientifically verified to have the characteristics that defined the original description of the compound.Amygdalin and Laetrile
Amygdalin, C20H27NO11, is a glycosideGlycoside
In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to a non-carbohydrate moiety, usually a small organic molecule. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzyme...
initially isolated from the seeds of the tree Prunus dulcis, also known as bitter almonds, by Pierre-Jean Robiquet and A. F. Boutron-Charlard in 1830, and subsequently investigated by Liebig
Justus von Liebig
Justus von Liebig was a German chemist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and worked on the organization of organic chemistry. As a professor, he devised the modern laboratory-oriented teaching method, and for such innovations, he is regarded as one of the...
and Wöhler in 1830, and others.
It was promoted in a modified form called Laetrile as a cancer cure
Management of cancer
Cancer can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, monoclonal antibody therapy or other methods. The choice of therapy depends upon the location and grade of the tumor and the stage of the disease, as well as the general state of the patient...
by Ernst T. Krebs, Jr. under the name "Vitamin B17", but studies have found it to be ineffective. It is also not a vitamin, and can cause cyanide poisoning. The promotion of laetrile to treat cancer has been described in the scientific literature as a canonical example of quackery, with Irving Lerner of the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
describing it as "the slickest, most sophisticated, and certainly the most remunerative cancer quack promotion in medical history."