Otto Folin
Encyclopedia
Otto Knut Olof Folin was a Swedish
-born American
chemist
who is best known for his groundbreaking work at Harvard University
on practical micromethods for the determination of the constituents of protein-free blood filtrates and the discovery of creatine phosphate in muscles.
, Småland
in Sweden
, the son of Nils Magnus Folin and Eva Olson. He moved to America at the age of fifteen following two brothers and an aunt who had already settled there. He carried on his schooling in Stillwater
. He moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
entering the University of Minnesota
and completed his B.S in 1892. In 1890, he became a citizen of the United States
. He joined the University of Chicago
gaining his Ph.D. in 1898.
. He moved to the McLean Hospital Boston
in 1900 as a research biochemist, eventually moving to Harvard Medical School
in 1907 as an associate professor of biological chemistry, becoming the Hamilton Kuhn professor in 1909.
Together with Vintilă Ciocâlteu
Otto Folin designed the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent
to detect polyphenols. In 1920, he co-developed with Hsien Wu
the Folin-Wu method of assaying glucose in protein-free filtrates of blood.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
who is best known for his groundbreaking work at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
on practical micromethods for the determination of the constituents of protein-free blood filtrates and the discovery of creatine phosphate in muscles.
Background
Folin was born in ÅsedaÅseda
Åseda is a locality and the seat of Uppvidinge Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden with 2,430 inhabitants in 2005.Åseda is the birthplace of motorcycle speedway rider Peter Ljung.- References :...
, Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the son of Nils Magnus Folin and Eva Olson. He moved to America at the age of fifteen following two brothers and an aunt who had already settled there. He carried on his schooling in Stillwater
Stillwater
-Places:Canada*Stillwater, Nova Scotia New Zealand*Stillwater, Auckland*Stillwater, West CoastUnited States*Stillwater, Minnesota*Stillwater, Nevada*Stillwater, New Jersey*Stillwater , New York*Stillwater , New York...
. He moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
entering 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...
and completed his B.S in 1892. In 1890, he became a citizen of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He joined the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
gaining his Ph.D. in 1898.
Career
In 1899 he was appointed assistant professor at West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
. He moved to the McLean Hospital Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in 1900 as a research biochemist, eventually moving to Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
in 1907 as an associate professor of biological chemistry, becoming the Hamilton Kuhn professor in 1909.
Together with Vintilă Ciocâlteu
Vintila Ciocâlteu
Vintila Ciocâlteu, MD, PhD was an eminent Romanian physician, researcher, professor and author.-Biography:Dr. Ciocâlteu was born in Plenita, in the Dolj district of Romania. He distinguished himself throughout medical school and was active in the leadership of the student association...
Otto Folin designed the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent
Folin-Ciocalteu reagent
The Folin–Ciocalteu reagent or Folin's phenol reagent or Folin–Denis reagent, also called the Gallic Acid Equivalence method , is a mixture of phosphomolybdate and phosphotungstate used for the colorimetric assay of phenolic and polyphenolic antioxidants...
to detect polyphenols. In 1920, he co-developed with Hsien Wu
Hsien Wu
Hsien Wu was an early protein scientist who was the first to propose that protein denaturation was a purely conformational change, i.e., corresponded to protein unfolding and not to some chemical alteration of the protein...
the Folin-Wu method of assaying glucose in protein-free filtrates of blood.
Selected works
- Approximately complete analyses of thirty "normal" urines (1905)
- Chemical problems in hospital practice (1908)
- Nitrogen retention in the blood in experimental acute nephritis in the cat (1912)
- Preservatives and other chemicals in foods: Their use and abuse (1914)
- Recent biochemical investigations on blood and urine;: Their bearing on clinical and experimental medicine (1917)
- Laboratory Manual of Biological Chemistry with Supplement (1925)
Other sources
- Schaffer, Phillip Otto Folin: (1867–1934) (Journal of Nutrition. volume 52, issue 1, pages 3–11. 1954) http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/52/1/3
- Schaffer, Phillip Otto Folin: (1867–1934) (National Academy Biographical Memoirs,volume 27. 1952 http://books.nap.edu/html/biomems/ofolin.pdf
- Edsall, John T. A Biomedical Pioneer: Otto Folin (Science 12 May 1989:Vol. 244. no. 4905, pp. 719 - 720) http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/pdf_extract/244/4905/719
Related Reading
- Meites, Samuel Otto Folin, America's First Clinical Biochemist ( American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Inc., Washington, D.C, 1989)