Alfonso Luis Herrera (1868–1942) was a Mexican biologist, author, educator and founder of several institutions in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. He conducted research into the origin of life in an attempt to develop a new, experimental science which he called plasmogeny.

Biography

Herrera was born in Mexico City, the son of a well-known naturalist. He studied

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

at the National School of Medicine, graduating in 1889 by which time he had already published several papers in

Zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

and

Ornithology Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

. He became a teacher at the

National Preparatory School The Escuela Nacional Preparatoria () (ENP), the oldest senior High School system in Mexico, belonging to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), opened its doors on February 1, 1868. It was founded by Gabino Barreda, M.D., following ...

(''Escuela Nacional Preparatoria''), the Military School and the " Normal School for Teachers" (''Escuela Normal para Maestros'') in Mexico. He also helped to found the Botanical Garden of

Chapultepec Park Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) in Mexico City, is one of the largest Nature Value Area´s in Mexico, measuring in total just over . Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of ...

(1922), Mexico City Zoo (1923 – now called

Chapultepec Zoo Chapultepec Zoo (Spanish: ''Zoológico de Chapultepec'') is a zoo located in Chapultepec Park; it is one of four zoos near Mexico City, and the best known Mexican zoo. It was founded July 6, 1923, by Mexican biologist Alfonso Luis Herrera using ...

), and the Biological Institute of the

University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countries. It also has 34 ...

. Herrera died in Mexico City in 1943.

Ideas

He developed an experimental science called plasmogeny, concerned with the origin of

protoplasm Protoplasm (; ) is the part of a cell that is surrounded by a plasma membrane. It is a mixture of small molecules such as ions, monosaccharides, amino acids, and macromolecules such as proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, etc. In some definitions ...

, the living material of which all animals and plants are made. He reasoned that since life was the result of purely physico-chemical phenomena, it should be possible to create a structure with similar properties to natural protoplasm out of relatively simple organic and inorganic compounds in the laboratory. To this end he conducted experiments to create artificial cells ("protocells") using substances such as

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

sodium hydroxide Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations and hydroxide anions . Sodium hydroxide is a highly corrosive base (chemistry), ...

gasoline Gasoline ( North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When for ...

, and

thiocyanate Thiocyanates are salts containing the thiocyanate anion (also known as rhodanide or rhodanate). is the conjugate base of thiocyanic acid. Common salts include the colourless salts potassium thiocyanate and sodium thiocyanate. Mercury(II) t ...

Books

He published his ideas in books such as ''Recueil des lois de la biologie générale'' ("Collection of the General Laws of Biology", in French) in 1897 and ''Nociones de biología'' in 1904 which was reprinted in 1924 as ''Biología y plasmogenia'' ("Biology and Plasmogeny"). His ideas on plasmogeny were further elaborated in ''Una nueva ciencia – la plasmogenia'' ("A New Science – Plasmogeny", 1924) and a shorter version followed in 1932, ''La plasmogenia – nueva ciencia del origen de la vida'' ("Plasmogeny – The New Science of the Origin of Life"). His experiments were published in two scientific journals which he founded: ''Gaceta de Plasmogenia'' (in Spanish) and ''Bulletin du Laboratoire de Plasmogenie'' (in French). He also wrote a number of other scientific texts. Several of his books have now appeared in English translation.

Eponyms

Three reptiles are named in his honor: '' Kinosternon herrerai'' (Herrera's mud turtle), ''

Barisia herrerae Herrera's alligator lizard (''Barisia herrerae'') is a species of medium-sized lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is endemic to Mexico. www.reptile-database.org Etymology The specific name, ''herrerae'', is in honor of Mexican biologis ...

'' (Herrera's alligator lizard), and '' Lampropeltis zonata herrerae'' (Todos Santos Island kingsnake). Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Herrera, p. 122).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Herrera, Alfonso L Mexican biologists Scientists from Mexico City 1942 deaths 1868 births 20th-century Mexican scientists