Edwin Goldmann (12 November 1862 – 13 August 1913) was a biomedical researcher and surgeon most famous for his contributions in first characterizing the blood–brain barrier.

Discovery of the blood–brain barrier

Goldmann's mentor,

Paul Ehrlich Paul Ehrlich (; 14 March 1854 – 20 August 1915) was a Nobel Prize-winning German physician and scientist who worked in the fields of hematology, immunology, and antimicrobial chemotherapy. Among his foremost achievements were finding a cure ...

, was studying

staining Staining is a technique used to enhance contrast in samples, generally at the microscopic level. Stains and dyes are frequently used in histology (microscopic study of biological tissues), in cytology (microscopic study of cells), and in ...

in his bacteriological studies by injecting

aniline dyes Aniline is an organic compound with the formula C6 H5 NH2. Consisting of a phenyl group attached to an amino group, aniline is the simplest aromatic amine. It is an industrially significant commodity chemical, as well as a versatile starting ...

in several species of animal. While most of the anatomy stained equally well, the brain tissue exhibited less staining in many species. Goldmann discovered that when the dye (namely,

trypan blue Trypan blue is an azo dye. It is a direct dye for cotton textiles. In biosciences, it is used as a vital stain to selectively colour dead tissues or cells blue. Live cells or tissues with intact cell membranes are not coloured. Since cells ar ...

) was injected directly into the

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all p ...

instead of into the other

organs In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...

, the brain would stain equally well as other organs — but the stain would not travel to the rest of the body. This suggested the presence of a compartmentalization between the

cerebrospinal fluid Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, colorless body fluid found within the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord of all vertebrates. CSF is produced by specialised ependymal cells in the choroid plexus of the ventricles of the bra ...

and the

vasculature The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

of the rest of the body. This barrier was first hypothesized by a

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

physician,

Max Lewandowsky upPortrait of Lewandowsky Max Lewandowsky (28 June 1876 – 4 April 1916) was a German neurologist, who was a native of Berlin, born into a Jewish family. Personal life Lewandowsky studied medicine at the Universities of Marburg, Berlin an ...

, in 1900 (prior to Goldmann's empirical evidence). Edwin Goldmann died from liver cancer in

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

on 13 August 1913.

References

South African surgeons 1862 births 1913 deaths South African biologists {{Biologist-stub