Juda Hirsch Quastel
Encyclopedia
Juda Hirsch Quastel, CC
, FRS, FRSE
(1899–1987) was a British-Canadian biochemist who pioneered diverse research in neurochemistry
, soil metabolism, cellular metabolism
, and cancer
.
Quastel, also known as "Harry" or "Q,” was born and educated in Sheffield
, Yorkshire
, England
. He served with the British Army as a Laboratory Assistant at St. George's Hospital from 1917 to 1919.
Electing to study chemistry, Quastel received a baccalaureate from Imperial College London
in 1921. Pursuing graduate work at Cambridge University
, Quastel studied with Frederick Gowland Hopkins, the leading figure in British biochemistry and a future Nobel Prize
recipient for his work on the nutritional importance of vitamin
s. Under Hopkins, Quastel received a doctorate of philosophy from Cambridge
in biochemistry
in 1924 and, not long after, was made a Fellow of Trinity College
.
Quastel remained in Hopkins’ department as a demonstrator and lecturer from 1923 to 1929, during which he pioneered the research of microbial enzymology. He obtained a doctorate of science from Cambridge in 1926 and received a Beit Memorial Fellowship in 1928.
Quastel accepted a position as Director of Research at the Cardiff
City Mental Hospital in 1930. From this location, he was able to conduct early work on the enzymology and metabolism of the brain. For these studies, Quastel was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1940.
In 1941, when Britain's wartime food supply emerged as a strategic concern, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) asked Quastel to lead a new research unit focused on improving crop yield at the Rothamsted Experimental Station
. By analyzing soil as a dynamic system, rather than an inert substance, he was able to apply techniques such as perfusion
, with which he had become familiar in studies of animal organs. On this approach, Quastel later wrote (1946) that "soil as a whole can be considered an organ comparable in some respects to a liver or a gland to which may be added various nutrients, pure or complex degraded plant materials, rain, air, and in which enzymatic reactions can occur."
Using these techniques, Quastel was able to quantify the influence of various plant hormones, inhibitors and other chemicals on the activity of microorganisms in the soil and assess their direct impact on plant growth. While the full work of the unit remained secret, certain discoveries were developed for commercial use after the war. Best known is the compound commonly labeled as 2,4-D, one of the first systemic or hormone herbicides, a class of chemicals responsible for triggering a worldwide revolution in agricultural output and still the most widely used weed-killer in the world. Another invention was developed as a soil conditioner and is marketed by Monsanto Company under the trade name Krilium.
After World War II
, Quastel was invited to become Assistant Director of the newly founded McGill University
-Montreal General Hospital Research Institute and professor of biochemistry at McGill University
, and, in 1947, he accepted the invitation. The following year, he was appointed Director of the Institute.
During his nineteen years at McGill University
, Quastel supervised seventy Ph.D. candidates and his Institute published over three hundred scientific papers on topics including metabolism of micro-organisms, soil biochemistry, neurobiochemistry, neurotropic drugs, anaesthesia, cancer biochemistry, enzyme inhibition, and transport of nutrients and ions across membranes. Once he reached McGill’s retirement age in 1966, Quastel accepted a professorship of neurochemistry at the University of British Columbia
in the Department of Psychiatry, the first such position for that institution.
Quastel received many honors, including, in 1970, Canada's highest recognition, the Companionship of the Order of Canada
. In the same year, he received an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, of which he had also been a governor since 1950. He received an honorary Doctorate of Science from McGill University
in 1969. He was made an honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
in 1983.
Quastel had three children—Michael, David and Barbara—with his first wife, Henrietta Quastel, who died in 1973. He died in 1987 in Vancouver
, survived by his second wife, Susan Ricardo, and eleven grandchildren.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, FRS, FRSE
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
(1899–1987) was a British-Canadian biochemist who pioneered diverse research in neurochemistry
Neurochemistry
Neurochemistry is the specific study of neurochemicals, which include neurotransmitters and other molecules such as neuro-active drugs that influence neuron function. This principle closely examines the manner in which these neurochemicals influence the network of neural operation...
, soil metabolism, cellular metabolism
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
, and cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
Quastel, also known as "Harry" or "Q,” was born and educated in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He served with the British Army as a Laboratory Assistant at St. George's Hospital from 1917 to 1919.
Electing to study chemistry, Quastel received a baccalaureate from Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
in 1921. Pursuing graduate work at Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Quastel studied with Frederick Gowland Hopkins, the leading figure in British biochemistry and a future Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
recipient for his work on the nutritional importance of 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...
s. Under Hopkins, Quastel received a doctorate of philosophy from Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
in 1924 and, not long after, was made a Fellow of Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
.
Quastel remained in Hopkins’ department as a demonstrator and lecturer from 1923 to 1929, during which he pioneered the research of microbial enzymology. He obtained a doctorate of science from Cambridge in 1926 and received a Beit Memorial Fellowship in 1928.
Quastel accepted a position as Director of Research at the Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
City Mental Hospital in 1930. From this location, he was able to conduct early work on the enzymology and metabolism of the brain. For these studies, Quastel was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1940.
In 1941, when Britain's wartime food supply emerged as a strategic concern, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) asked Quastel to lead a new research unit focused on improving crop yield at the Rothamsted Experimental Station
Rothamsted Experimental Station
The Rothamsted Experimental Station, one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, is located at Harpenden in Hertfordshire, England. It is now known as Rothamsted Research...
. By analyzing soil as a dynamic system, rather than an inert substance, he was able to apply techniques such as perfusion
Perfusion
In physiology, perfusion is the process of nutritive delivery of arterial blood to a capillary bed in the biological tissue. The word is derived from the French verb "perfuser" meaning to "pour over or through."...
, with which he had become familiar in studies of animal organs. On this approach, Quastel later wrote (1946) that "soil as a whole can be considered an organ comparable in some respects to a liver or a gland to which may be added various nutrients, pure or complex degraded plant materials, rain, air, and in which enzymatic reactions can occur."
Using these techniques, Quastel was able to quantify the influence of various plant hormones, inhibitors and other chemicals on the activity of microorganisms in the soil and assess their direct impact on plant growth. While the full work of the unit remained secret, certain discoveries were developed for commercial use after the war. Best known is the compound commonly labeled as 2,4-D, one of the first systemic or hormone herbicides, a class of chemicals responsible for triggering a worldwide revolution in agricultural output and still the most widely used weed-killer in the world. Another invention was developed as a soil conditioner and is marketed by Monsanto Company under the trade name Krilium.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Quastel was invited to become Assistant Director of the newly founded McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
-Montreal General Hospital Research Institute and professor of biochemistry at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, and, in 1947, he accepted the invitation. The following year, he was appointed Director of the Institute.
During his nineteen years at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, Quastel supervised seventy Ph.D. candidates and his Institute published over three hundred scientific papers on topics including metabolism of micro-organisms, soil biochemistry, neurobiochemistry, neurotropic drugs, anaesthesia, cancer biochemistry, enzyme inhibition, and transport of nutrients and ions across membranes. Once he reached McGill’s retirement age in 1966, Quastel accepted a professorship of neurochemistry at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
in the Department of Psychiatry, the first such position for that institution.
Quastel received many honors, including, in 1970, Canada's highest recognition, the Companionship of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. In the same year, he received an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, of which he had also been a governor since 1950. He received an honorary Doctorate of Science from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in 1969. He was made an honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
in 1983.
Quastel had three children—Michael, David and Barbara—with his first wife, Henrietta Quastel, who died in 1973. He died in 1987 in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, survived by his second wife, Susan Ricardo, and eleven grandchildren.