Alwin Max Pappenheimer Jr. (November 25, 1908 – March 21, 1995) was an American

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

and immunologist.New York Times:Alwin M. Pappenheimer Jr., 86; Shed Light on Bacterial Toxins;By WOLFGANG SAXON;Published: March 24, 1995
/ref>Biographical Memoirs V.77 (1999); National Academy of Sciences (NAS)ALWIN MAX PAPPENHEIMER JR.; BY H. SHERWOOD LAWRENCE
/ref>
/ref> Pappenheimer was noted for his advances in the field of

bacterial toxin Microbial toxins are toxins produced by micro-organisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, dinoflagellates, and viruses. Many microbial toxins promote infection and disease by directly damaging host tissues and by disabling the immune system. ...

s and in particular for isolation and analysis of the

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

toxin for which he received Eli Lilly Award in 1941. He performed ultracentrifugation-based analysis of diphtheria toxin-antitoxin interactions with

Mary Locke Petermann Mary Locke Petermann (February 25, 1908 – December 13, 1975) was an American cellular biochemist known for her key role in the discovery and characterization of animal ribosomes, the molecular complexes that carry out protein synthesis. She wa ...

and John Warren Williams at the University of Wisconsin. Pappenheimer was professor of biology at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, professor of bacteriology and immunology at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, master of

Dunster House Dunster House is one of 12 undergraduate residential houses at Harvard University. Built in 1930, it is one of the first two Harvard dormitories constructed under President Abbott Lawrence Lowell's House Plan and one of the seven Houses given to ...

, a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

, a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, president of the American Association of Immunologists. He received the 1941

Eli Lilly and Company-Elanco Research Award The Eli Lilly and Company-Elanco Research Award was a scientific award presented annually by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and sponsored by the Eli Lilly and Company and its subsidiary Elanco (which became an independent company in 201 ...

and the 1990 Paul Ehrlich Prize and Gold Medal.

Life and career

Pappenheimer was born in

Cedarhurst, New York Cedarhurst is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 7,374 as of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Cedarhurst is located in the region ...

. He was the eldest son of Dr. Alwin Max Pappenheimer, a distinguished pathologist on the faculty of the College of Physicians and Surgeons at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

.New York Times:A. PAPPMHEIMER OF COLUMBIA, 76; Retired Pathology Professor Who Won Many. Honors for Work Dies in Bay State;February 22, 1955
/ref> His brother John Pappenheimer later became a professor of physiology at

, and his sister Anne Pappenheimer Forbes became an endocrinologist and clinical professor at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

. Pappenheimer Jr. received his Ph.D. in

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...

from

in 1932. He joined Harvard in 1958 as chairman of the Board of Tutors in Biochemical Sciences.

References

External links

H. Sherwood Lawrence, "Alwin Max Pappenheimer, Jr.", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (1999)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pappenheimer, Alwin Max Jr. 1908 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American biochemists American immunologists Harvard University faculty Harvard University alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences People from Cedarhurst, New York New York University faculty Scientists from New York (state)