Gabriel Gustav Valentin (July 1810 – 24 May 1883), also Gabriel Valentin, was a German

physiologist Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out chemical and ...

and professor of

physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...

at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...

. Gabriel Gustav Valentin was born at Breslau in July 1810. He was

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, the son of a Jewish goldsmith. He was educated at the

University of Breslau A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

(with M.D. 1832), and he established himself later as a physician in the town. In 1835, Valentin received the Grand Prix of the

Institut de France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute manages approximately ...

for his book ''"Histiogenia Comparata"'' which is a competent treatise on the evolution of animals and plants. In 1836, Valentin was elected as professor of

at the

, which chair he held 45 years, until he resigned in 1881. Valentin was the author of many important works on various subjects: on the blood and its circulation, on

digestion Digestion is the breakdown of large insoluble food compounds into small water-soluble components so that they can be absorbed into the blood plasma. In certain organisms, these smaller substances are absorbed through the small intestine into th ...

, on the electricity of muscles and nerves, on the

of the senses, on

toxicology Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating ex ...

, etc. From 1836 to 1843, Valentin published the ''"Repertorium für Anatomie und Physiologie"'' and collaborated with others on many professional journals. The numerous works of Gabriel Gustav Valentin include: :* ''"Handbuch der Entwicklungsgeschichte des Menschen, mit Vergleichender Rücksicht der Entwicklung der Säugethiere und Vögel"'' Berlin and Paris, 1835 (see above); :* ''"Ueber den Verlauf und die Letzten Enden der Nerven,"'' Bonn, 1836; :* ''"Ueber Mechanik des Blutumlaufs,"'' Leipzig, 1836; :* ''"De Functionibus Nervorum Cerebralium et Nervi Sympathici,"'' Bern, 1839; * :* ''"Lehrbuch der Physiologie des Menschen,"'' Brunswick, 1844, 2d ed. 1847-1850; :* ''"Grundriss der Physiologie des Menschen,"'' ib. 1846, 4th ed. 1854; :* ''"Der Einfluss der Vaguslähmung auf die Lungen und Hautausdünstung,"'' Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1857; :* ''"Die Untersuchung der Pflanzen- und Thiergewebe im Polarisierten Licht,"'' Leipzig, 1861; :* ''"Beiträge zur Anatomie und Physiologie des Nerven- und Muskel-systems,"'' ib. 1863; :* ''"Der Gebrauch des Spektroskops,"'' ib. 1863; :* ''"Versuch einer Physiologischen Pathologie der Nerven,"'' ib. 1864; and, :* ''"Versuch einer Physiologischen Pathologie des Bluts und der Uebrigen Körpersäfte,"'' ib. 1866-1867. Gabriel Gustav Valentin died at

Bern, Switzerland Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, on May 24, 1883, at the age of seventy-two.

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valentin 1810 births 1883 deaths German physiologists Prussian physicians 19th-century German physicians People from the Province of Silesia 19th-century German Jews Immigrants to Switzerland Academic staff of the University of Bern