Paul Gyorgy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul György
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | April 7, 1893 |
| Died | March 1, 1976 (aged 82) |
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Education | University of Budapest (M.D., 1915) |
| Alma mater | University of Heidelberg (1920-1933) Cambridge University (1933-1935) Case Western Reserve University (1935-1944) |
| Known for | Discovery of biotin, riboflavin, vitamin B6 |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Gyrözy (née John) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | John Howland Award (1968) National Medal of Science (1975) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Pediatrics, Biochemistry, Nutrition |
| Institutions | University Hospitals of Cleveland (1933-1935) Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (1950-1957) Philadelphia General Hospital (1957-1953) |
Paul György (born April 7, 1893 – died March 1, 1976) was a Hungarian-American scientist. He was a biochemist (someone who studies the chemistry of living things), a nutrition expert, and a pediatrician (a children's doctor). He is famous for discovering three important B vitamins: riboflavin (B2), B6, and biotin (B7).
Dr. György also did important research on human breast milk. He found special things in it that help good bacteria grow and protect against harmful germs. In 1975, he received the National Medal of Science from President Gerald Ford. This is one of the highest awards for scientists in the United States.
Contents
Who Was Paul György?
His Early Life and Education
Paul György was born on April 7, 1893, in a town called Nagyvárad, which was then part of Hungary. He came from a Jewish family. As a child, he loved to read and play music. His father was a doctor in their community.
Inspired by his father and with his parents' support, Paul decided to study medicine. He went to the University of Budapest Medical School. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1915.
Starting His Career in Europe
After World War I ended, in 1920, Dr. György got a job at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. He worked there as an assistant to a famous doctor and researcher named Ernst Moro. Dr. György stayed at Heidelberg until 1933. He became a full professor there in 1927 when he was just 34 years old.
At the University of Heidelberg, Dr. György made his first big discovery. He worked with his colleague Th. Wagner-Jauregg and Nobel Prize-winning chemist Richard Kuhn. Together, they found and isolated riboflavin, which is also known as vitamin B2.
In 1933, the political situation in Germany became difficult. This led Dr. György to move to the Nutrition Laboratory at the University of Cambridge in England. He continued his research there until 1935. During this time, he discovered another important nutrient: vitamin B6.
Moving to the United States
In 1935, Dr. György moved to the United States. He became a visiting assistant professor of pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University. Two years later, he became an associate professor at the university. He also worked as a children's doctor at two hospitals in Cleveland.
While at Case Western Reserve University, he made his third major discovery. In 1940, he successfully isolated biotin, also known as vitamin B7.
In 1944, Dr. György moved to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He became an Associate Research Professor of Pediatrics. Here, he started studying the special protective things found in human breast milk. He became a full Professor of Pediatrics in 1946. Later, he became a Professor Emeritus (a retired professor who keeps their title) in 1963. He also led the pediatrics departments at two major hospitals in Philadelphia.
Amazing Discoveries in Nutrition
Dr. György played a key role in finding three B vitamins. He did this work with other scientists in Germany, England, and the United States. Later, he focused on understanding how human breast milk helps protect babies.
Finding Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
By the 1920s, scientists knew there was a "water-soluble vitamin B." They thought it had two main parts. One part helped prevent nerve problems (B1, now called thiamine). The other part was more stable in heat (B2).
In 1932, Dr. György found that B2 was not just one thing. It was actually a mix of two factors. One factor helped with growth (this was later identified as riboflavin). The other factor helped prevent a skin disease called pellagra (this was later found to be niacin, or vitamin B3).
Dr. György, with Richard Kuhn and Th. Wagner-Jauregg in Heidelberg, noticed something interesting. Rats on a B2-free diet could not gain weight. When they isolated a concentrated B2 from yeast, they found a bright yellow, glowing substance. Feeding this substance to the rats helped them grow normally again. The more of this glowing substance the rats got, the more they grew.
Other scientists had seen this yellow substance in milk before. They called it 'yellow oxidation ferment' but didn't know what it did. Dr. György and his team suggested calling their yellow pigments 'flavin'. They believed it was the same substance found in milk.
By 1933, the Heidelberg team was the first to get pure, crystal flavin from milk. They named it lactoflavin. They and other groups also found similar flavins in egg white (ovoflavin) and liver (heptoflavin). All these compounds were chemically the same. In 1937, the name riboflavin became the official name for this important vitamin.
Uncovering Vitamin B6
While studying riboflavin, Dr. György noticed something else. Rats that only got thiamine (B1) developed skin problems similar to pellagra. This happened even when they were given pure riboflavin. These symptoms only went away when the rats received a special extract from baker's yeast that didn't contain flavin.
This showed that there was another "anti-pellagra" factor. It was different from the newly discovered riboflavin. In 1934, Dr. György named this new factor B6. He wanted to tell it apart from other B vitamins.
He worked to isolate and describe vitamin B6 during his time at the University of Cambridge. In 1936, Dr. György and his colleague, Thomas William Birch, successfully got pure, crystal B6 from fish and wheat germ.
Identifying Biotin (Vitamin H)
Around 1927, scientists noticed a strange problem called "egg-white injury." They found that rats fed large amounts of raw egg white as their only protein source got sick. They had nerve problems, skin rashes, and eventually died.
Dr. György started looking into what caused this "egg-white injury" in 1933. In 1939, he successfully identified the factor responsible. He called it vitamin H. Further studies showed that vitamin H was water-soluble and found in high amounts in the liver.
Around the same time, other groups of scientists had also found the same compound. They just called it different names. For example, in 1936, Kögl and Tönnis found "biotin" in egg yolk. In 1939, West found "co-enzyme R." By 1940, everyone realized these three compounds were identical. They were all given the name biotin. Dr. György continued his work. In 1941, he showed that "egg-white injury" happened because a protein in egg white, called avidin, bound to biotin and prevented the body from using it.
How Breast Milk Protects Babies
In 1950, Dr. György began studying the helpful germs in human breast milk. He compared the gut bacteria of breast-fed babies to those fed cow's milk formula. He found that breast-fed babies had a lot of a specific type of Lactobacillus bifidus. This is a good bacteria that is important for a healthy gut.
Further tests showed that human breast milk contained special factors. These factors helped this specific L. bifidus grow.
In 1962, Dr. György also discovered that human breast milk could protect against certain harmful bacteria. He found that mice given human breast milk were more protected from Staphylococcus aureus infections. They survived better than mice given only cow's milk.
Life Outside of Science
Dr. György married Margaret John on October 23, 1920, in Germany. They had three sons. Hans became an organic chemist, Michael became a physicist, and Tilbert became a surgeon. Dr. György loved classical music. He was also a keen painter and gardener.
Awards and Recognition
In 1975, Dr. György received the National Medal of Science. This award was given by President Gerald Ford. It recognized his "discovery of three vitamins and related research that have greatly improved human nutrition." Sadly, Dr. György had passed away by the time of the 1976 award ceremony. His wife, Margaret John, accepted the medal for him.
Other important awards he received included:
- Borden Award of the American Institute of Nutrition (1951)
- Borden Award of Nutrition by the American Academy of Pediatrics (1952)
- Goldberger Award of the Council of Foods and Nutrition by the American Medical Association (1957)
- Osbourne-Mendel Award of the American Institute of Nutrition (1958)
- John Howland Award for the American Pediatric Society (1968)
Later Years and Legacy
In his later years, Dr. György focused on improving nutrition in Southeast Asia. He conducted studies in countries like Thailand and Indonesia. He helped organize the Protein Advisory Group for the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. These are big organizations that work to improve health and help children worldwide. He was the President of this group from 1960 to 1964.
Dr. György died on March 1, 1976, from pneumonia. He was 82 years old and passed away in Morristown, New Jersey. His important discoveries continue to help us understand nutrition and health today.
