Joseph von Gerlach
Encyclopedia
Joseph von Gerlach was a German
professor of anatomy
at the University of Erlangen. He was a native of Mainz
, Rhineland-Palatinate
. Gerlach was a pioneer of histological staining and anatomical microphotography. In 1858 Gerlach introduced carmine
mixed with gelatin
as an histological stain.
Along with Camillo Golgi
, he was a major proponent of the theory that the brain's nervous system
consisted of processes of contiguous cells fused to create a massive meshed network. Gerlach summed up his theory by stating:
of synaptic
junctions, which in essence replaced the reticular theory.
Gerlach was one of the first physicians to use microphotography for medical research. In 1863 he published a handbook titled Die Photographie als Hilfsmittel mikroskopischer Forschung (Engl. "Photography as a tool in microscopic science") in which he discusses the practical and technological aspects of microscopic photography.
The eponymous "Gerlach's valve" (valvula processus vermiformis) is named after him. This anatomical structure is a fold of membrane located at the opening of the vermiform appendix
. In his article Ueber das Hautathmen (Engl. "On skin respiration") he was the first to show that human skin uses oxygen from ambient air.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
professor of anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
at the University of Erlangen. He was a native of Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
. Gerlach was a pioneer of histological staining and anatomical microphotography. In 1858 Gerlach introduced carmine
Carmine
Carmine , also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red #4, C.I. 75470, or E120, is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminum salt of carminic acid, which is produced by some scale insects, such as the cochineal beetle and the Polish cochineal, and is used as a general term for...
mixed with gelatin
Gelatin
Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
as an histological stain.
Along with Camillo Golgi
Camillo Golgi
Camillo Golgi was an Italian physician, pathologist, scientist, and Nobel laureate.-Biography:Camillo Golgi was born in the village of Corteno, Lombardy, then part of the Austrian Empire. The village is now named Corteno Golgi in his honour. His father was a physician and district medical officer...
, he was a major proponent of the theory that the brain's nervous system
Nervous system
The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
consisted of processes of contiguous cells fused to create a massive meshed network. Gerlach summed up his theory by stating:
the finest divisions of the protoplasmic processes ultimately take part in the formation of the fine nerve fibre network which I consider to be an essential constituent of the gray matter of the spinal cord. The divisions are none other than the beginnings of this nerve fibre net. The cells of the gray matter are therefore doubly connected by means the nerve process which becomes the axis fibre and through the finest branches of the protoplasmic processes which become a part of the fine nerve fibre net of the gray matter.The reticular theory predominated until the 1890s when Ramon y Cajal brought forth his neuron doctrine
Neuron doctrine
The neuron doctrine is a descriptive term for the fundamental concept that the nervous system is made up of discrete individual cells, a discovery due to decisive neuro-anatomical work of Santiago Ramon y Cajal and later presented, among others, by H. Waldeyer-Hartz...
of synaptic
Synapse
In the nervous system, a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell...
junctions, which in essence replaced the reticular theory.
Gerlach was one of the first physicians to use microphotography for medical research. In 1863 he published a handbook titled Die Photographie als Hilfsmittel mikroskopischer Forschung (Engl. "Photography as a tool in microscopic science") in which he discusses the practical and technological aspects of microscopic photography.
The eponymous "Gerlach's valve" (valvula processus vermiformis) is named after him. This anatomical structure is a fold of membrane located at the opening of the vermiform appendix
Vermiform appendix
The appendix is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum , from which it develops embryologically. The cecum is a pouchlike structure of the colon...
. In his article Ueber das Hautathmen (Engl. "On skin respiration") he was the first to show that human skin uses oxygen from ambient air.
External links
- Parts of this article are based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia.
- Neurophilosophy, On discovery of the neuron
- Laboratory Manual of Human Anatomy (definition of eponym)