Henry Clapp Sherman (October 16, 1875 – October 7, 1955) was an American food chemist and nutritionist. He was professor of chemistry 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 ...

and a president of the

American Society of Biological Chemists The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) is a learned society that was founded on December 26, 1906, at a meeting organized by John Jacob Abel (Johns Hopkins University). The roots of the society were in the American Ph ...

Biography

Sherman was born in Ash Grove, Virginia. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the

Maryland Agricultural College The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Universi ...

in 1893, a Master of Science degree from Columbia University in 1896 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1897. From 1899 until his retirement he was a faculty member in the department of chemistry at Columbia University and professor of food chemistry. He was executive officer of the department of chemistry (1919–1939) and was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Science in 1929. He provided early evidence that enzymes such as

amylase An amylase () is an enzyme that catalysis, catalyses the hydrolysis of starch (Latin ') into sugars. Amylase is present in the saliva of humans and some other mammals, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Foods that contain large ...

could consist of pure

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

and pioneered quantitive studies on the physiological impact of vitamin A, B1, B2, C calcium, phosphorus, iron and protein. He died in

East Greenbush, New York East Greenbush is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Albany. The population was 16,748 at the 2020 census. The word Greenbush is derived from the Dutch ''het groen bosch,'' referring to the pine woods that or ...

on October 7, 1955.

Personal life

He married Cora Aldrich Bowen on September 9, 1903. They had four children: Phoebe (deceased, 1929), Henry Alvord (chemical engineer), William Bowen (medicine, deceased, 1971), and Caroline Clapp (biochemist, Mrs. Oscar E. Lanford, Jr.).

Honors and awards

* 1926 President, American Society of Biological Chemists * 1933 National Academy of Sciences, elected member * 1934

William H. Nichols Medal The William H. Nichols Medal is awarded annually for original research in chemistry. Nominees must have made a "significant and original contribution in any field of chemistry" during the five years preceding the presentation date. The medallist ...

* 1947

Franklin Medal The Franklin Medal was a science award presented from 1915 until 1997 by the Franklin Institute located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country ...

* 1949 Chandler Medal, Columbia University * 1950 Borden Award, American Institute of Nutrition

Selected publications

''Chemistry of Food and Nutrition''
(1911)
''Food Products''
(1914, 1948)
''Methods of Organic Analysis''
(1915) *'' The Chemistry of Food and Nutrition'' (1918) *''The Science of Nutrition'' (1943) *''Foods: Their Values and Management'' (1946) *''Food and Health'' (1947) *''Calcium and Phosphorus in Foods and Nutrition'' (1947) *''The Nutritional Improvement of Life'' (1950) *''Essentials of Nutrition'' (1951)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Henry Clapp 1875 births 1955 deaths 20th-century American chemists American food chemists American food writers American nutritionists Columbia University alumni Columbia University faculty American dietitians Vitamin researchers Recipients of Franklin Medal