Robert F. Schilling
Encyclopedia
Dr. Robert Frederick Schilling, M.D. is a physician
who is best known for his research on Vitamin B12
. Schilling is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin. He is the namesake of the Schilling test
.
. He received postdoctoral training at Philadelphia Generala Hospital in West Philadelphia
, Boston City Hospital
in Boston
, and at University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin.
-labeled B12 in the urine
led to a test for vitamin B12 absorption named the "Schilling test
" in his honor. The Schilling test determines if a patient has pernicious anemia
, a disease
caused by malabsorption
of B12 due to lack of intrinsic factor
. The Schilling test in a second stage may also be used as a control test for other causes of malabsorption of Vitamin B12 even if it is bound to intrinsic factor (B12 deficiency which is not pernicious anemia).
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 is best known for his research on Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, vitamin B12 or vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood. It is one of the eight B vitamins...
. Schilling is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin. He is the namesake of the Schilling test
Schilling test
The Schilling test is a medical investigation used for patients with vitamin B deficiency. The purpose of the test is to determine whether the patient has pernicious anemia.It is named for Robert F. Schilling.-Process:The Schilling test has multiple stages...
.
Education and Postdoctoral Work
Schilling received his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. He received postdoctoral training at Philadelphia Generala Hospital in West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
, Boston City Hospital
Boston City Hospital
The Boston City Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and .....
in 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...
, and at University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin.
Work with Vitamin B12
His work on detection of radio-cobaltCobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
-labeled B12 in the urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
led to a test for vitamin B12 absorption named the "Schilling test
Schilling test
The Schilling test is a medical investigation used for patients with vitamin B deficiency. The purpose of the test is to determine whether the patient has pernicious anemia.It is named for Robert F. Schilling.-Process:The Schilling test has multiple stages...
" in his honor. The Schilling test determines if a patient has pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia is one of many types of the larger family of megaloblastic anemias...
, a disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
caused by malabsorption
Malabsorption
Malabsorption is a state arising from abnormality in absorption of food nutrients across the gastrointestinal tract.Impairment can be of single or multiple nutrients depending on the abnormality...
of B12 due to lack of intrinsic factor
Intrinsic factor
Intrinsic factor also known as gastric intrinsic factor is a glycoprotein produced by the parietal cells of the stomach. It is necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12 later on in the small intestine...
. The Schilling test in a second stage may also be used as a control test for other causes of malabsorption of Vitamin B12 even if it is bound to intrinsic factor (B12 deficiency which is not pernicious anemia).