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Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins OM FRS (20 June 1861
Eastbourne, Sussex - 16 May 1947 Cambridge) was an English biochemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine in 1929, with Christiaan
Eijkman, for the discovery of vitamins. He also discovered the amino acid tryptophan, in 1901. He
was President of the Royal Society from
1930-1935.
Biography
Hopkins was educated at the City of London School completing
his further study with the University of London External Programme and
the medical school at Guy's Hospital (Now part of King's College London School of
Medicine).[1]
He then taught physiology and toxicology at Guy's Hospital
from 1894 to 1898. He was Reader in Chemical Physiology at Cambridge University from 1902
to 1914 and became Professor of Biochemistry at Cambridge in
1914.[2] His
Cambridge students included neurochemistry pioneer Judah Hirsch Quastel.
He was awarded the 1929 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
(together with Christiaan Eijkman) for his discovery that certain
trace substances—now known as vitamins -- are essential for the
maintenance of good health. He also discovered that muscle contraction can lead to
the accumulation of lactic acid.
Hopkins was knighted in 1925. He is the father of the
archaeologist Jacquetta Hawkes (and hence the
father-in-law of the writer J. B. Priestley) and also the cousin of
Gerald Manley Hopkins. Although he had no
formal doctoral advisor, his equivalent mentor was Thomas Stevenson.
Timeline
- 30 June 1861: Born in Eastbourne, Sussex, England.
- 1890: Gains B.Sc. degree from University of London.
- 1894: Medical degree from Guy's Hospital, London. (Now King's College London)
- 1898: Married to Jessie Anne Stevens.
- 1898-1910: Lecturer in Chemical Physiology, Cambridge
University.
- 1905: Elected Fellow of the Royal Society (Britain's most prestigious
scientific organization).
- 1910: Appointed Fellow and Praelector in Biochemistry, Trinity College,
Cambridge.
- 1912: Publishes "Feeding Experiments Illustrating the
Importance of Accessory Food Factors in Normal Dietaries",
demonstrating the need for vitamins in diet.
- 1914-1943: First ever Professor of Biochemistry at Cambridge
University.
- 1924 Sir William Dunn
Institute of Biochemistry opens.
- 1918: Awarded Royal Medal of the Royal Society.
- 1925: Knighted by King George V.
- 1926: Awarded Copley Medal of the Royal Society.
- 1929: Wins Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology.
- 1930-1935: President of the Royal Society.
- 1933: President of the British Association for the Advancement
of Science.
- 1935: Awarded the Order of Merit (Britain's most exclusive
civilian honor).
- 16 May 1947: Dies in Cambridge, England.
Notes
References
- ^ Joseph Needham,
"Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins, O.M., F.R.S. (1861-1947),"
Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 17,
No. 2. (December 1962), pp. 117-162[1]
- ^
Hopkins, Frederick
Gowland in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press,
10 vols, 1922–1958.
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