Alexander Rollett (14 July 1834 – 1 October 1903) was an Austrian physiologist and

histologist Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...

born in Baden bei Wien,

Niederösterreich Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P� ...

. He studied with

Ernst Wilhelm von Brücke Ernst Wilhelm Ritter von Brücke (6 July 1819 – 7 January 1892) was a German physician and physiologist. He is credited with contributions made in many facets of physiology. Biography He was born Ernst Wilhelm Brücke in Berlin. He graduate ...

(1819–1892) in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, and in 1863 became a professor of physiology and histology at the University in Graz. He was a prime factor in making Graz an international center for physiological training and education. Between 1872 and 1903 he was

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the university four times, and from 1893 was president of the Styrian Medical Association. He was a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (1864), a corresponding member of the ''Societas Medicorum Svecana'' (1882) and the

Royal Bavarian Academy of Sciences Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

(1892). He was the author of numerous scientific papers on

gastric glands The gastric glands are glands in the lining of the stomach that play an essential role in the process of digestion. All of the glands have mucus-secreting foveolar cells. Mucus lines the entire stomach, and protects the stomach lining from the ...

, connective tissue, blood cells,

tendons A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

, nerves, etc. He also penned treatises on the construction and physiology of striated muscle fibers, and works involving the eye and eyesight that discussed topics such as

binocular vision In biology, binocular vision is a type of vision in which an animal has two eyes capable of facing the same direction to perceive a single three-dimensional image of its surroundings. Binocular vision does not typically refer to vision where an ...

, color in

Newton's rings Newton's rings is a phenomenon in which an interference pattern is created by the reflection of light between two surfaces, typically a spherical surface and an adjacent touching flat surface. It is named after Isaac Newton, who investigated the ...

and subjective color. His name is associated with "Rollett's stroma", being defined as an insoluble, spongy network forming the framework of a

red blood cell Red blood cells (RBCs), also referred to as red cells, red blood corpuscles (in humans or other animals not having nucleus in red blood cells), haematids, erythroid cells or erythrocytes (from Greek ''erythros'' for "red" and ''kytos'' for "holl ...

. Embedded within the interstices of Rollett's stroma is

hemoglobin Hemoglobin (haemoglobin BrE) (from the Greek word αἷμα, ''haîma'' 'blood' + Latin ''globus'' 'ball, sphere' + ''-in'') (), abbreviated Hb or Hgb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein present in red blood cells (erythrocyt ...

.
The practitioner's medical dictionary: containing all the words and phrases ... By George Milbry Gould, Richard John Ernst Scott Rollett was politically active, serving as a member of the Styria, Styrian Parliament and as a city council member in Graz. He was the grandson of naturalist Georg Anton Rollett (1778–1842), a nephew of

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

Hermann Rollett (1819–1904), and the father of author Edwin Rollett (1889–1964) and physician Octavia Aigner-Rollett (1877–1959).

References

* Parts of the biography are based on a translation of an equivalent article at the German Wikipedia, namel

''Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon'' 1815–1950 (ÖBL) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rollett, Alexander Academics of the University of Graz 1834 births 1903 deaths Austrian physiologists Austrian histologists People from Baden bei Wien Rectors of universities in Austria