Viktor Hamburger

Viktor Hamburger
Born	(1900-07-09)July 9, 1900 Landeshut,Silesia
Died	June 12, 2001(2001-06-12)(aged 100) St. Louis,Missouri
Nationality	German
Alma mater	University of Freiburg
Known for	Nerve growth factor
Scientific career
Fields	Embryology
Institutions	Washington University in St. Louis
Doctoral advisor	Hans Spemann

Viktor Hamburger(July 9, 1900 – June 12, 2001)was aGerman-Americanprofessor andembryologist.His collaboration withneuroscientistRita Levi-Montalciniresulted in the discovery ofnerve growth factor.In 1951 he and Howard Hamilton published a standardized stage series to describe chicken embryo development, now called theHamburger-Hamilton stages.He was considered "one of the most influential neuroembryologists of the twentieth century".

Early life

Hamburger was born on(1900-07-09)July 9, 1900 inLandeshut,Silesia,Germanyto Max Hamburger and Else Gradenwitz.After completing gymnasium in June 1918, Hamburger was inducted into the German army, but was released after theArmisticelater that year. The army had discharged him in the city ofBreslau,and he began his university studies there, moving toHeidelbergfor the academic year of 1919–1920. However, in the spring of 1920 he was attracted to move toFreiburg,where he went on to complete his Ph.D. in the laboratory of embryologistHans Spemannin 1925.

Career

Hamburger was doing post-doctoral research at theUniversity of Chicagowhen theNaziscame to power in Germany, and was able to remain in the US through the assistance of theRockefeller Foundation.

Hamburger began to work atWashington University in St. Louisin 1935; he retired from his professor position in 1969 and continued researching until the 1980s.

In 1947 Hamburger recognized and brought to the United States a post-doctoral fellow namedRita Levi-Montalcini.Their subsequent collaboration resulted in the discovery ofnerve growth factor.This work was continued by Dr. Levi-Montalcini and Dr. Cohen to which they would be awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Dr. Hamburger was excluded as a recipient for the Nobel Prize, although the NGF work by Dr. Levi-Montalcini and Dr. Cohen was based upon work by Dr. Hamburger and was carried out in his laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Levi-Montalcini also publicly marginalized Hamburger’s role in the NGF work.

In 1951 Hamburger and Howard Hamilton in 1951 published theHamburger-Hamilton stages.They believed developmental biologists should have a well-grounded reference system to identify the stages of embryo development. This would facilitate comparisons between experiments in different laboratories. The devised their stage series based on visible anatomical characteristics, chosen on the basis of clearly identifiable external features and that the successive stages should be spaced closely together as possible and include quantitative measurements, such a beak or toe length.

In the 1960s, Hamburger did embryological work that established that chick movements in embryo were spontaneous patterns, a finding that contradicted contemporary assertions ofbehavioral psychologists.

Hamburger later revisitednerve growth factor,demonstrating that it was required for the maintenance of neural cells.

Selected awards

• 1953 – Inducted intoNational Academy of Sciences
• 1976 – Honorary doctorate,Washington University in St. Louis
• 1978 –Wakeman Award for Research in the Neurosciences
• 1981 –Ross Harrison Prizefrom theInternational Society of Developmental Biologists,shared withDonald Brown
• 1983 –Louisa Gross Horwitz PrizeofColumbia UniversitywithStanley CohenandRita Levi-Montalcini
• 1984 – Honorary doctorate from Faculty of Mathematics and Science,Uppsala University
• 1985 –Ralph W. Gerard Prize in Neurosciencefrom theSociety for Neuroscience
• 1989 –National Medal of Science
• 1990 –Karl Spencer LashleyAward of theAmerican Philosophical Society
• 2000 – Lifetime Achievement Award,Society for Developmental Biology

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Allen, Garland."Viktor Hamburger, 1900–2001; a biographical memoir"(PDF).Biographical Memoirs.National Academy of Sciences.Retrieved18 December2015.

• Hamburger, Viktor(1996)."Viktor Hamburger".In Squire, Larry R. (ed.).The history of neuroscience in autobiography.Washington DC: Society for Neuroscience. pp. 222‒250.ISBN0-916110-51-6.Retrieved2013-05-26.

External links

• The Viktor Hamburger Lecture
• Viktor Hamburger Outstanding Educator Prize
• Viktor Hamburger Virtual Exhibit
• Biography of Viktor Hamburger