Bengt Olof Torsten Falck (16 January 1927 – 16 July 2023) was a Swedish scientist, who was professor emeritus at the Faculty of Medicine at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion endocrinology Endocrinology (from '' endocrine'' + '' -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the integration of developmental event ...

and

neurobiology Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, development ...

Personal life

Bengt Falck was the son of Hans Falck, city court judge in Malmö, Sweden, and Maria Hagander. He married Eva Torp in 1951, and together they had four children. In 1994 he married Inger Vestvik. Falck died on 16 July 2023, at the age of 96.

Scientific career

Falck became Doctor of Medical Science, equivalent of

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

, in 1959. His thesis focused on the production of

estrogen Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal acti ...

in the

ovaries The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. T ...

, and he attempted to show that this production is dependent on an interplay of two different hormone producing systems. His hypothesis has come to be called "Falck's two-cell hypothesis of oestrogen synthes". Between 1960 and 1970 he acted as associate professor, before becoming a full professor of

histology 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 ...

in 1970, all at the University of Lund, Sweden. In 1960–61 Falck and

Nils-Åke Hillarp Nils-Åke Hillarp (4 July 1916 – 17 March 1965) was a Swedish scientist and a prominent force in research on the brain's monoamines. Biography Hillarp was the son of merchant Nils Bengtsson and Hulda, former Johansson, and the brother of Rut Hi ...

developed the Falck-Hillarp fluorescence method. This technique made it possible to study biologically active substances called

monoamines Monoamine neurotransmitters are neurotransmitters and neuromodulators that contain one amino group connected to an aromatic ring by a two-carbon chain (such as -CH2-CH2-). Examples are dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. All monoamines are ...

–

dopamine Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic compound, organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. Dopamine const ...

noradrenaline Norepinephrine (NE), also called noradrenaline (NA) or noradrenalin, is an organic chemical in the catecholamine family that functions in the brain and body as both a hormone and neurotransmitter. The name "noradrenaline" (from Latin '' ad'', ...

adrenaline Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands and ...

and

serotonin Serotonin () or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Its biological function is complex and multifaceted, modulating mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous physiological processes such as vomiting and vas ...

– on the cellular level employing fluorescence microscope. Consequently, it was then possible to demonstrate their presence in the central as well as peripheral nervous system. Thereby, it could be established that these monoamines were actually functioning as interneuronal transmitters (signal substances). The method has since its development been used several times, within fields such as

dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...

and

histochemistry Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is the most common application of immunostaining. It involves the process of selectively identifying antigens (proteins) in cells of a tissue section by exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically to ant ...

. The publication on the chemical background was named among the 200 most cited papers of all time in 1991, and had at the time been cited 2,435 times. In 2012, the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Lund arranged a symposium “From Nerve to Pills” celebrating the 50th anniversary of the initial publication of the F-H method. In 2004 his latest publication ”Mediated exodus of L-Dopa from human epidermal Langerhans cells", was published.

References

Notes

Sources

Falck, Bengt O T
i Vem Vem är Vem? : Skåne, Halland, Blekinge (2:a upplagan, 1966).

External links

* The most-cited papers of all time 1945–1988, part 2
http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/essays/v13p227y1990.pdf
*
www.falck-hillarp.se

Från nerv till piller
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falck, Bengt 1927 births 2023 deaths Swedish neuroscientists Histologists Academic staff of Lund University People from Malmö