Katz, Sir Bernard

Katz, Sir Bernard
▪ 2004

      German-born British biophysicist (b. March 26, 1911, Leipzig, Ger.—d. April 20, 2003, London, Eng.), shared (with American biochemist Julius Axelrod and Swedish physiologist Ulf von Euler) the 1970 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning the chemistry of nerve transmission. Katz was singled out for his studies on the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and the mechanism by which that chemical substance transmits impulses from nerve cells to muscle fibres. Katz was born to a Russian father and Polish mother who had immigrated to Germany, but his Jewish family never held German citizenship. After graduating from the University of Leipzig (M.D., 1934), he studied under Nobel laureate A.V. Hill at University College London (UCL). Katz received a Ph.D. in 1938, briefly worked in Sydney, Australia, and served in the Australian radar corps during World War II. In 1952 he succeeded Hill as head of the UCL biophysics research unit and established the department of biophysics, where he remained until his retirement in 1978. Katz was granted British citizenship in 1941, became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1952 (winning the Copley Medal in 1967), and was knighted in 1969. His significant books included Electric Excitation of Nerve (1939) and The Release of Neural Transmitter Substances (1969).

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▪ British physiologist
born March 26, 1911, Leipzig, Germany
died April 20, 2003, London, England

      German-born British physiologist who investigated the functioning of nerves and muscles. His studies on the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine—which carries impulses from nerve fibre to muscle fibre or from one nerve ending to another—won him a share (with Julius Axelrod (Axelrod, Julius) and Ulf von Euler (Euler, Ulf von)) of the 1970 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

      After receiving a medical degree from the University of Leipzig in 1934, Katz immigrated to England, where he pursued advanced studies at University College in London, taking a Ph.D. in 1938. Upon receiving a Carnegie fellowship, he studied in Australia (1939–42) and then served in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. He returned to University College in 1946 and from 1952 to 1978 was professor and head of the biophysics department. Katz was knighted in 1969.

      Katz wrote Electric Excitation of Nerve (1939), Nerve, Muscle and Synapse (1966), and The Release of Neural Transmitter Substances (1969). He and his associates made numerous discoveries concerning the chemistry of nerve transmission, including the role of calcium ions in promoting the release of neurotransmitter substances and the fact that quanta of these substances are being released constantly at random intervals.

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Universalium. 2010.

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