Bernard Katz
Bernard Katz was a notable Jewish scientist born in 1911 in Leipzig, Germany, who became a pivotal figure in the field of physiology. Facing persecution as a Jew in Nazi Germany, Katz emigrated in 1935 and pursued his studies in Great Britain and later in Australia. His research focused on the chemical-electrical impulses in the nervous system, particularly the role of acetylcholine in nerve transmission. Katz's groundbreaking work challenged existing theories by demonstrating that acetylcholine is continuously released at nerve junctions, which significantly contributed to the understanding of neurological disorders and treatment possibilities. His scientific contributions earned him numerous accolades, including the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1970, alongside Ulf von Euler and Julius Axelrod. Throughout his career, Katz held prestigious positions, including head of the Biophysics Department at University College London, and was recognized with various honors such as knighthood and multiple fellowships. He passed away in 2003, leaving behind a legacy that continues to influence physiological research today.
Bernard Katz
Physiologist
- Born: March 26, 1911
- Birthplace: Leipzig, Germany
- Died: April 20, 2003
- Place of death: London, England
Education: König Albert Gymnasium; University of Leipzig; University College London
Significance: Nobel Prize–winning biophysicist Sir Bernard Katz revolutionised the way researchers view the central nervous system. In the 1950s, he uncovered the chemical and electrical nature of nerve impulses. His work helped scientists better understand how impulses are transmitted between the human brain and the muscular system, which cast a new light on neurological disorders like paralysis.
Background
Bernard Katz was born in 1911 in Leipzig, Germany, but not as a German citizen. His father was a fur merchant from Russia and his mother was Polish, so Katz was officially Russian until the age of six, when the Russian Revolution left his family without a nationality. Katz was Jewish, however, which made him the target of persecution in 1920s Germany. In 1929 Katz enrolled at the University of Leipzig to pursue a medical degree. In 1933, the year that Adolf Hitler became chancellor, Katz's undergraduate work received the university's highest marks, earning him the school's Siegfried Garten Prize. However, because Katz was Jewish, the school officially retracted the prize. His adviser, Martin Gildermeister, gave him the prize money secretly.
When Katz completed his medical degree in 1935, he emigrated from Nazi Germany. He used his League of Nations stateless person status to obtain passage to Great Britain, where he studied under Nobel laureate A. V. Hill at University College London (UCL). Katz later cited Hill as one of the most significant influences on his own pursuits. Shortly before World War II, however, Katz left UCL to study in Australia under another renowned physiologist, John Eccles, at Sydney Hospital's Kanematsu Memorial Institute. In 1941 Katz became a naturalised British citizen. He could then serve with the Royal Australian Air Force.
After the war Hill invited Katz to return to UCL as a fellow. In 1952 Katz succeeded Hill as the head of the Biophysics Department, a post he held until 1978.
Medical Research
Heavily influenced by Hill, Katz focused his research on the chemical-electrical impulses that travel through the central nervous system. More specifically, he built upon his peers' research on the emission of the chemical acetylcholine when nerves outside the brain and spinal cord receive nerve impulses. In doing so, Katz—along with physiologists Ulf von Euler and Julius Axelrod—shed light on how nerve impulses travel throughout the body and how neurological impairments occur.
Katz and his UCL research team set out to learn how acetylcholine is released at these nerve junctions. He analysed the minute electrical charge that occurs between the nerve junction and the muscle to which it is attached. Among his discoveries was that a charge is present even when no impulse is transmitted to the junction. Only when a poison that causes paralysis was administered did the electrical charge cease. Katz and his team disproved previous hypotheses that held that acetylcholine is released only when impulses are transmitted. Instead, he reasoned, the nerve junctions constantly produce at least a fixed minimum of minute packets (or "quanta") of acetylcholine, and when impulses are transmitted, much larger quantities of the chemical are released.
The scientific community immediately speculated that Katz's discovery could shed new light on the treatment of neurological disorders and mental illnesses. As the electron microscope confirmed his theories, researchers also saw potential in the study of poisons, including chemicals used in warfare. Furthermore, the breakthrough helped scientists, Katz included, to further examine transmitter-containing vesicles that release acetylcholine at nerve junctions.
For Katz, that major discovery made him a leading figure in the study of human physiology and brought him many awards and honours. He wrote a wide range of scholarly papers on nerve and muscle physiology, using his previous research as a foundation. Named a fellow of the Royal Society in 1952, he was vice president of the organisation for 1965, resuming that position while also serving as biological secretary from 1968 to 1976. Katz won the Baly Medal and the Copley Medal, both in 1967. In 1968 he became a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, was appointed to the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, and joined the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1969. The year 1969 also saw Katz knighted for his accomplishments. The following year Katz, von Euler, and Axelrod shared the 1970 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.
Katz's later work in the 1970s revolved around expanding knowledge of ion channels. He remained a professor of biophysics at the UCL until his retirement in 1978, when he was named professor emeritus. In 1999 the Royal Physiological Society named an important annual lecture series in honour of Katz and his fellow Nobel recipients.
Impact
Bernard Katz is remembered for groundbreaking physiological research that significantly advanced scientists' understanding of the human nervous system. His discovery regarding acetylcholine in nerve impulse transmission had far-reaching influence, an achievement that was acknowledged with a Nobel Prize and other prestigious honours. Other researchers have built upon his work, including fellow Nobel laureates Bert Sakmann and Erwin Neher. Perhaps most importantly, Katz's theories and discoveries about nerve synapses gave rise to a better understanding of nervous system impairments and potential avenues of medical treatment.
Personal Life
Bernard Katz married Marguerite Penly in 1945. The couple had two sons. Katz died on 20 April 2003 at age ninety-two.
Bibliography
"Bernard Katz." The Physiological Society, 2017, www.physoc.org/bernard-katz. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.
Colquhoun, David. "Professor Sir Bernard Katz." The Independent, 25 Apr. 2003, www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/professor-sir-bernard-katz-36475.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.
"Professor Sir Bernard Katz." The Telegraph, 24 Apr. 2003, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1428210/Professor-Sir-Bernard-Katz.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.
"Sir Bernard Katz—Biographical." Nobelprize.org, Nobel Media, 2014, www.nobelprize.org/nobel‗prizes/medicine/laureates/1970/katz-bio.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.
Tucker, Anthony. "Sir Bernard Katz." The Guardian, 24 Apr. 2003, www.theguardian.com/news/2003/apr/24/guardianobituaries.highereducation. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.
Michael P.Auerbach, MA