John Jacob Abel

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John Jacob Abel
John Jacob Abel
Born	May 19, 1857 Cleveland, Ohio
Died	May 26, 1938
Nationality	American
Fields	biochemist pharmacologist
Alma mater	University of Michigan

John Jacob Abel (May 19, 1857 – May 26, 1938) was a significant American biochemist and pharmacologist.

Born near Cleveland, Ohio, he graduated with a Ph.D. 1883 from the University of Michigan. In 1891 he founded and chaired the first department of pharmacology in the United States at the University of Michigan. In 1893, he went on to chair the pharmacology department at Johns Hopkins University. In 1897, he was the second to isolate epinephrine, also known as adrenaline (the first was Napoleon Cybulski in 1895), although the extracts he produced have been shown to be mostly an inactive metabolite and the first pure extracts were produced by the Japanese Jokichi Takamine (1854-1922) who patented the formulation under the name adrenalin. He later formulated the idea of the artificial kidney and in 1914 he isolated amino acids from the blood.

He spent years unsuccessfully searching for the pituitary hormone, unaware that he was in fact looking for several hormones. In 1926, he reported the isolation and crystallization of insulin, though this announcement was met with considerable scepticism and not generally accepted for many years.

Abel also co-founded the Journal of Biological Chemistry with Christian Archibald Herter in 1905 and the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics in 1909.

[edit] References

• Gastel, B, “Abel and onward: some early history of hemodialysis.”, Medical instrumentation 20 (2): 62-4, PMID:3517604, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3517604> 
• Becker, R A (1982), “The John Jacob Abel papers--primary sources for the history of American pharmacology.”, Pharmacy in history 24 (3): 115-6, 1982, PMID:11615884, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11615884> 
• Parascandola, J (1982), “John J. Abel and the early development of pharmacology at the Johns Hopkins University.”, Bulletin of the history of medicine 56 (4): 512-27, 1982, PMID:6760940, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6760940> 
• Harvey, A M (1976), “Pharmacology's giant: John Jacob Abel.”, Johns Hopkins Med. J. Suppl.: 49-59, 1976, PMID:801548, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/801548> 
• Harvey, A M (1974), “Pharmacology's giant: John Jacob Abel.”, The Johns Hopkins medical journal 135 (4): 245-58, 1974 Oct, PMID:4606906, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4606906> 
• Rosenberg, Charles. "Abel, John Jacob." in Dictionary of Scientific Biography. (1970). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Vol. 1: p.9-12.
• Murnaghan, J H & Talalay, P (1967), “John Jacob Abel and the crystallization of insulin.”, Perspect. Biol. Med. 10 (3): 334-80, 1967, PMID:5340582, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5340582> 
• DARBY, T D (1964), “ON TEACHING PHARMACOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS IN OUR MEDICAL SCHOOLS. DELIBERATION UPON AND A REPHRASING OF AN ARTICLE BY JOHN J. ABEL.”, Am. Heart J. 67: 145-9, 1964 Feb, PMID:14118479, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14118479> 
• SWAIN, H H; Geiling, E M & Heingartner, A, “John Jacob ABEL at Michigan. The introduction of pharmacology into the medical curriculum.”, Medical bulletin (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 29: 1-14, PMID:13979597, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13979597> 
• MARSHALL, E K, “An exhibit at the centennial celebration of John Jacob Abel's birth.”, Bulletin of the history of medicine 32 (4): 356-65, PMID:13573011, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13573011> 
• SOLLMAN, T; AMBERG, S; VOEGTLIN, C & ROWNTREE, L G (1957), “Centenary of the birth of John Jacob Abel.”, Bulletin of the Johns Hopkins Hospital 101 (6): 298-328, 1957 Dec, PMID:13489405, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13489405>