Miguel Rolando Covian facts for kids

Miguel Rolando Covian (born September 7, 1913 – died February 5, 1992) was a famous scientist from Argentina and Brazil. He was a physiologist, which means he studied how living things work. He was also a teacher and a writer.

About Miguel Covian

His Early Life and School

Miguel Covian was born in Rufino, Argentina, in 1913. He went to medical school at the University of Buenos Aires. While he was still a student, he helped teach physiology.

After he graduated in 1942, he started working full-time in physiology research. He worked with a very important Argentine scientist named Bernardo Houssay. Houssay later won the Nobel Prize in 1947. He won it for his work on how the pituitary gland and the pancreas control glucose (sugar) in the body.

From 1945 to 1948, Covian worked at a special research center. It was called the Institute of Experimental Biology and Medicine of Buenos Aires. Houssay and his team started this center in 1944. Covian also worked with another great physiologist, Eduardo Braun-Menéndez, and finished his advanced studies there in 1948.

Studying in the United States

After finishing his studies, Covian received a special scholarship. It was from the Rockefeller Foundation. He went to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, United States. There, he studied how the brain controls body functions. He worked with other important scientists like Phillip Bard and Vernon Mountcastle.

After three years, he came back to Argentina. He continued his work at the Institute of Experimental Biology and Medicine. In 1952, he started the first laboratory in Argentina for studying the brain and nerves, called neurophysiology.

His Research Work

By 1955, Covian was well-known around the world for his brain research. He was invited to join the new School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto. This school was part of the University of São Paulo in Brazil. He became the head of the Physiology Department. He held this job for many years.

Under Covian's guidance, the department became one of the best places for science and education in Latin America. Many excellent scientists worked there. Covian also started Brazil's first neurophysiology lab there.

A Leader in Science

Covian was a very active leader in the world of science. He helped start the Brazilian Society of Physiology and was even its president. He also helped create advanced study programs at the School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto. He found new ways to teach physiology to students.

He was part of many international science groups. He helped with scientific magazines and was a member of the International Brain Research Organization.

What He Studied

Covian's most important work was studying the brain's role in things like thirst. He also studied how the body controls water and salt balance. He looked at appetitive behavior. This is how animals find and eat specific foods. This behavior depends on many things, both inside and outside the body.

His team often studied Norwegian rats. They watched how rats chose to drink plain water or salt water. They used different methods to understand this. They studied how different parts of the brain affected this choice. They also looked at how hormones and medicines changed behavior.

He also studied a part of the brain called the limbic system. He looked at how it controlled things like blood pressure and how animals behave when they reproduce.

A Thoughtful Person

Covian was also a humanist. This means he was very interested in people and their culture. He loved the history of science, philosophy of science, and history of medicine. He also enjoyed classical music and art.

He retired when he was 70 years old, but he still often visited his office at the university.

His Passing

Miguel Covian was respected by his many friends and students. He passed away on February 5, 1992, after getting sick.