Ana Aslan (; 1 January 1897 – 20 May 1988), born Anna Aslanyan, was a Romanian

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

and physician of partial Armenian descent. She was born in

Brăila Brăila (, also , ) is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County. The Sud-Est (development region), ''Sud-Est'' Regional Development Agency is located in Brăila. According to the 2021 Romanian ...

and died in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. Aslan was a specialist in

gerontology Gerontology ( ) is the study of the social, culture, cultural, psychology, psychological, cognitive, and biology, biological aspects of aging. The word was coined by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Ancient Greek, Greek ('), meaning "o ...

, academician from 1974 and the director of the National Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology (1958–1988) known for her invention of the drug Gerovital (H3). Aslan received international recognition for her research in gerontology.

Early life

Ana was the youngest of four children, two brothers and two sisters, born to Mkrtitch and Sofia Aslanyans. Ana was said to be a very intellectual child, learning to read and write already by age four. At the age of 13, her father died, and her family then moved to Bucharest, Romania. It was in Bucharest where she began her studies. She graduated from the Central School of Bucharest in 1915. The premature death of her father, whom she was close to, was said to be the reason she wanted to become a physician. Although the medical field was not a desirable field for women to enter, Ana Aslan decided that was the path she wanted to pursue and attended the Faculty of Medicine from 1915 to 1922. Her mother did not support this decision of becoming a physician because of financial strains, so Ana Aslan went on a hunger strike until her mother accepted her medical career. During her time in undergraduate studies, she attended to soldiers as a nurse during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Research

After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine in 1922, she began working with Daniel Danielopolu who supervised her doctoral thesis. She obtained her

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

degree in

cardiovascular physiology Cardiovascular physiology is the study of the cardiovascular system, specifically addressing the physiology of the heart ("cardio") and blood vessels ("vascular"). These subjects are sometimes addressed separately, under the names cardiac physiolog ...

in 1924. Her focus was on

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 ...

and the process of

ageing Ageing (or aging in American English) is the process of becoming older until death. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi; whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biol ...

. While experimenting on the effects that

procaine Procaine is a local anesthetic drug of the amino ester group. It is most commonly used in dental procedures to numb the area around a tooth and is also used to reduce the pain of intramuscular injection of penicillin. Owing to the ubiquity of ...

had on

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

, Aslan discovered other beneficial effects of this drug. It was this discovery that led to a three-year study and eventual invention of her drug called Gerovital (H3), which she prescribed for the effects of aging. With hesitation from fellow scientists that Gerovital was a "

fountain of youth The Fountain of Youth is a mythical Spring (hydrology), spring which supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted around the world for thousands of years, appearing in t ...

", Aslan kicked off a research study to prove the results. Over a period of two years, blood samples were taken from 15,000 people, with some of them receiving Gerovital and some receiving a placebo. 40% of the people who took Gerovital had less sick-leave days, and mortality rate from the flu epidemic was 13% in placebo patients while only being 2.7% in patients who took the drug. In 1976, with a pharmacist named Elena Polovrăgeanu, they invented another drug named Aslavital, which was a similar drug to Gerovital aimed to delay the skin aging process.

Awards

Ana Aslan received many distinctions for her research activity, for example: * Member of the International Academy of Science, Munich and first Co-President * "Cross of Merit" – First Class of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

, Germany, 1971 * "Cavalier de la Nouvelle Europe" Prize Oscar, Italy, 1973 * "Les Palmes Academiques", France, 1974 * "Honorary Foreign Citizen and Honorary Professor of Sciences", Philippines, 1978 * "Member Honoris Causa" Diploma of the Bohemo-Slovakian Society of Gerontology, 1981 * "Leon Bernard" Prize, important distinction granted by the World Health Organization upon nomination and endorsement by officials of a member state (in this case by the Romanian

Nicolae Ceauşescu Nicolae may refer to: * Nicolae (name), an Aromanian and Romanian name * ''Nicolae'' (novel), a 1997 novel See also *Nicolai (disambiguation) *Nicolao Nicolao is an Italian given name and a surname. It may refer to the following: Given name *Ni ...

) for contributing to the development of gerontology and geriatrics, 1982

Cosmetic lines

Ana Aslan patented two cosmetic products (hair lotion and cream Gerovital H3), entrusting their production to

Farmec Farmec (meaning 'charm', in Romanian) is the largest cosmetics manufacturer in Romania. The company manufactures and sells beauty products, household hygiene products and other chemical products. Farmec is headquartered in Cluj-Napoca, where th ...

company and Miraj. The two companies have since diversified their range of cosmetics, and traditional procaine hydrochloride was eliminated from the formula.

Legacy

Ana Aslan was considered a pioneer of social medicine. Years after becoming the head of the physiology department at the Institute of Endocrinology of Bucharest, she founded the Institute of Geriatrics of Bucharest. Ana Aslan, in 1959 organized the Romanian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics. The Romanian Society of Gerontology was the first in the world to channel its research into clinic, experimental, and social researches, devise a therapeutic strategy to prevent the process of aging, and organize a national health network for the prevention of aging. Her drug was used by many famous politicians and celebrities around the world, including John F. Kennedy.

References

External links

"Ana Aslan" Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics Official WebsiteAna Aslan, Encyclopedia of Romania (in Romanian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aslan, Ana 1897 births 1988 deaths Female nurses in World War I World War I nurses People from Brăila Titular members of the Romanian Academy Romanian biologists Romanian gerontologists Women gerontologists 20th-century Romanian inventors Biogerontologists Women biologists Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Romanian women physicians Romanian women scientists 20th-century women scientists Women medical researchers 20th-century women inventors Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy alumni Armenian women physicians 20th-century Romanian biologists Léon Bernard Foundation Prize laureates