William Murphy (scientist)
Encyclopedia
William Parry Murphy was an American physician who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
in 1934 with George Richards Minot and George Hoyt Whipple for their combined work in devising and treating macrocytic anemia
(specifically, pernicious anemia
).
Murphy was born on February 6, 1892, at Stoughton
, Wisconsin
. He was educated at the public schools of Wisconsin and Oregon. He completed his A.B. degree in 1914 from the University of Oregon
. He completed his M.D. in 1922 from Harvard Medical School
.
In 1924, Murphy bled dogs to make them anemic (work inspired by war injury work), and then fed them various substances to gauge their improvement. He discovered that ingesting large amounts of liver seemed to restore anemia more quickly of all foods. Minot and Whipple then set about to chemically isolate the curative substance. These investigations showed that iron in the liver was responsible for curing anemia from bleeding, but meanwhile liver had been tried on people with pernicious anemia
and some effect as seen there, also. The active ingredient in this case, found serendipitously, was not iron, but rather a water-soluble extract containing a new substance. From this extract, chemists were ultimately were able to isolate vitamin B12
from the liver. Even before the vitamin had been completely characterized, the knowledge that raw liver and its extracts treated pernicious anemia
(previously a terminal disease) was a major advance in medicine.
Murphy married Pearl Harriett Adams on September 10, 1919. They had a son, Dr. William P. Murphy Jr.
, and a daughter, Priscilla Adams.
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
in 1934 with George Richards Minot and George Hoyt Whipple for their combined work in devising and treating macrocytic anemia
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
(specifically, pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia is one of many types of the larger family of megaloblastic anemias...
).
Murphy was born on February 6, 1892, at Stoughton
Stoughton
Stoughton is the name of some places:in the United States of America:*Stoughton, Massachusetts**Stoughton *Stoughton, Wisconsin*Stoughton Hall, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MassachusettsIn England:*Stoughton, Leicestershire*Stoughton, Surrey...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. He was educated at the public schools of Wisconsin and Oregon. He completed his A.B. degree in 1914 from the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
. He completed his M.D. in 1922 from 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 1924, Murphy bled dogs to make them anemic (work inspired by war injury work), and then fed them various substances to gauge their improvement. He discovered that ingesting large amounts of liver seemed to restore anemia more quickly of all foods. Minot and Whipple then set about to chemically isolate the curative substance. These investigations showed that iron in the liver was responsible for curing anemia from bleeding, but meanwhile liver had been tried on people with pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia is one of many types of the larger family of megaloblastic anemias...
and some effect as seen there, also. The active ingredient in this case, found serendipitously, was not iron, but rather a water-soluble extract containing a new substance. From this extract, chemists were ultimately were able to isolate 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...
from the liver. Even before the vitamin had been completely characterized, the knowledge that raw liver and its extracts treated pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia is one of many types of the larger family of megaloblastic anemias...
(previously a terminal disease) was a major advance in medicine.
Murphy married Pearl Harriett Adams on September 10, 1919. They had a son, Dr. William P. Murphy Jr.
William P. Murphy Jr.
Dr. William P. Murphy Jr. is the son of the American physician William Parry Murphy who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1934....
, and a daughter, Priscilla Adams.