Wilhelm Kühne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wilhelm Kühne
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| Born | 28 March 1837 Free City of Hamburg, Germany
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| Died | 10 June 1900 (aged 63) |
| Other names | Father of organic chemistry |
| Alma mater | University of Göttingen |
| Known for | Coining the word "enzyme" Discovery of myosin Discovery of trypsin Optography |
| Awards | ForMemRS (1892) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physiology, physiological chemistry |
| Institutions | University of Berlin University of Amsterdam University of Heidelberg |
| Doctoral advisor | Rudolph Wagner |
| Other academic advisors | Friedrich Wöhler |
| Doctoral students | Russell Chittenden |
Wilhelm Friedrich Kühne (born March 28, 1837 – died June 10, 1900) was a German scientist who studied how living things work. This field is called physiology. He was born in Hamburg, Germany. He is famous for inventing the word "enzyme" in 1878. Enzymes are like tiny helpers in our bodies that make chemical reactions happen.
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About Wilhelm Kühne
Wilhelm Kühne was born in Hamburg on March 28, 1837. He went to a special school called a gymnasium in Lüneburg. After that, he studied at the University of Göttingen. There, he learned chemistry from Friedrich Wöhler and physiology from Rudolph Wagner.
After finishing his studies in 1856, Kühne continued to learn from many famous scientists. He worked with Emil du Bois-Reymond in Berlin. He also studied with Claude Bernard in Paris. Later, he learned from KFW Ludwig and EW von Brücke in Vienna.
In 1863, he became the head of the chemistry part of a lab in Berlin. In 1868, he became a professor of physiology in Amsterdam. Then, in 1871, he moved to Heidelberg to take over from Hermann von Helmholtz. He worked there until he passed away on June 10, 1900.
Kühne's Scientific Discoveries
Kühne's early work focused on how muscles and nerves work. In 1864, he found a sticky protein in muscles. He believed this protein helped muscles stay tense. He named this important protein myosin.
While working in Berlin, he started studying how our bodies digest food. In 1876, he discovered an enzyme that helps break down proteins. He called this enzyme trypsin.
Kühne also did a lot of research on how we see. He studied the chemical changes that happen in the retina (the back of your eye) when light hits it. He used a substance called "rhodopsin" (also known as visual purple). This substance was first described by Franz Christian Boll in 1876.
Kühne tried to explain vision using a photochemical theory. This theory suggested that light causes chemical changes in the eye. He showed that rhodopsin is very important for seeing in dim light. However, it's not found in the part of the eye that sees most clearly. This made his theory less complete.
Kühne also invented a process called optography. This process could create an image from the retina of a rabbit's eye. He did this by using chemicals to "fix" the rhodopsin in place. Later, Kühne even tried this technique on a human eye, but the results were not clear.
In 1898, he was chosen to be a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Inspiring Future Scientists
Wilhelm Kühne taught many students who went on to do great things.
José Rizal
José Rizal (1861–1896) was a very important person in the Philippines. He is known as a national hero. He studied physiology with Professor Kühne at the Heidelberg University in 1886.
Ida Henrietta Hyde
Ida Henrietta Hyde (1857–1945) wanted to study physiology with Kühne at the University of Heidelberg. Another professor suggested her. The university accepted her, but Wilhelm Kühne did not want women in his classes or labs. He reportedly said he would never allow "skirts" in his classes.
However, a colleague asked him if he would give her a degree if she could pass the final exam. Kühne jokingly said yes. So, for six semesters, Ida Hyde had to study on her own. She used notes and drawings from Kühne's assistants.
Finally, she took a four-hour oral exam given by Kühne's committee. She proved how smart she was. The highest honors, "summa cum laude", could not be given to a woman at that time. So, Kühne created a new phrase for her: "Multa Cum Laude Superavit." This means "she overcame with much praise."
Ida Hyde earned her PhD from Heidelberg in 1896. She was the first woman to get this kind of degree for her work. Kühne even recommended her for a research job in Italy. There, she studied how salivary glands work. She became a lifelong member of that research group and its secretary for several years.
