Frederick Hopkins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frederick Gowland Hopkins
Born	20 June 1861
Died	16 May 1947
Alma mater	University College, London
Awards	Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1929)

Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins (born June 20, 1861 – died May 16, 1947) was an English chemist. He is famous for his important work on how our bodies use food. In 1929, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Christiaan Eijkman. They won this award for discovering vitamins, which are tiny but super important parts of our diet.

Who Was Frederick Gowland Hopkins?

Frederick Gowland Hopkins was a brilliant scientist. He helped us understand that eating only proteins, fats, and carbohydrates isn't enough. Our bodies also need very small amounts of other things to stay healthy. These special things are what we now call vitamins. His discoveries changed how we think about food and health forever.

Early Life and Education

Frederick Hopkins was born in Eastbourne, England. Even when he was young, he was very curious about science. He studied at the City of London School. Later, he went to University College London and then to King's College London. He became a doctor in 1894. This strong education helped him become a great researcher.

Discovering Vitamins

In the early 1900s, scientists knew that people needed certain foods to avoid diseases. For example, sailors got scurvy without fresh fruit. But they didn't know why. Hopkins believed there were "accessory factors" in food. These were tiny amounts of substances that were vital for life.

He did experiments with animals, feeding them pure proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. The animals did not grow well. But when he added a tiny bit of milk, they became healthy again. This showed that milk contained something essential that wasn't just protein, fat, or sugar. He called these substances "accessory food factors." Later, these were named vitamins.

His work helped explain why diseases like scurvy and rickets happened. It showed that a balanced diet with all these tiny factors was key to good health.

Nobel Prize and Later Life

In 1929, Frederick Gowland Hopkins received the Nobel Prize. This was a huge honor for his groundbreaking work on vitamins. He shared the prize with Christiaan Eijkman, who also did important research on vitamins.

Hopkins continued his research throughout his life. He also studied how muscles work and how our bodies use energy. He became a professor at University of Cambridge and was a very respected scientist. He was even knighted, becoming "Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins." He passed away in 1947, leaving behind a huge legacy in science.

Images for kids

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  A robot thinking about science.