Carl von Voit (31 October 1831 – 31 January 1908) was a German

physiologist Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

and

dietitian A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of ...

Biography

Voit was born in

Amberg Amberg () is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. In 2020, over 42,000 people lived in the town. History The town was first mentioned in 1034, at that time under t ...

, the son of

August von Voit Richard Jakob August von Voit (17 February 1801 in Wassertrüdingen – 12 December 1870 in Munich) was a German architect specializing in glass and iron structures. Notable projects Voit designed the city hall of Annweiler am Trifels ( Rhin ...

and Mathilde Burgett. From 1848 to 1854 he studied at the universities of

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

and

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the '' Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzbur ...

. At Munich, his teachers were

Justus von Liebig Justus Freiherr von Liebig (12 May 1803 – 20 April 1873) was a German scientist who made major contributions to agricultural and biology, biological chemistry, and is considered one of the principal founders of organic chemistry. As a profess ...

and Max Joseph Pettenkofer, and at Würzburg, he was a pupil of

Albert von Kölliker Albert von Kölliker (born Rudolf Albert Kölliker'';'' 6 July 18172 November 1905) was a Swiss anatomist, physiologist, and histologist. Biography Albert Kölliker was born in Zurich, Switzerland. His early education was carried on in Zurich ...

. In 1855 he furthered his education at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded i ...

under chemist Friedrich Wohler, and in 1856/57 served as an assistant to Theodor von Bischoff in Munich. In 1857 he obtained his

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including ...

, and from 1863 was a full professor of physiology as well as curator of the physiological collection at the University of Munich.VOIT, Carl Michael von Voit
drw.saw-leipzig.de

Contributions

Carl von Voit is considered by many to be the "father" of modern

dietetics A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of ...

. As a

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe ...

and physiologist, he found that the amount of

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at seve ...

in excreted

urea Urea, also known as carbamide, is an organic compound with chemical formula . This amide has two amino groups (–) joined by a carbonyl functional group (–C(=O)–). It is thus the simplest amide of carbamic acid. Urea serves an important ...

is a measure for the

protein turnover In cell biology, protein turnover refers to the replacement of older proteins as they are broken down within the cell. Different types of proteins have very different turnover rates. A balance between protein synthesis and protein degradation ...

. Using a

respiration chamber Respiration may refer to: Biology * Cellular respiration, the process in which nutrients are converted into useful energy in a cell ** Anaerobic respiration, cellular respiration without oxygen ** Maintenance respiration, the amount of cellula ...

, he could characterize the significance of individual nutrients, known as ''Voitsche Kostmaß''. He was also a successful teacher, attracting international students to the University of Munich and thus significantly influencing the US nutritionist, among others. One of his better known German pupils was

Max Rubner Max Rubner (2 June 1854, Munich27 April 1932, Berlin) was a German physiologist and hygienist. Academic career He studied at the University of Munich and worked as an assistant under Adolf von Baeyer and Carl von Voit (doctorate 1878). Lat ...

. Carl von Voit died in

. The German Nutrition Society has been awarding the Carl-von-Voit-medal since 1961.

Works

* ''Die Gesetze der Ernährung des Fleischfressers'' (Leipzig 1860) * ''Über die Wirkung des Kochsalzes, des Kaffees und der Muskelbewegung auf den Stoffwechsel'' (Munich 1860) * ''Über die Kost in öffentlichen Anstalten'' (Munich 1876) * ''Untersuchung der Kost in einigen öffentlichen Anstalten'' (Munich 1877) * ''Über die Entwickelung der Erkenntnis'' (Munich 1879) * ''Physiologie des allgemeinen Stoffwechsels und der Ernährung'' (volume 6, first section of

Ludimar Hermann Ludimar Hermann (October 31, 1838 – June 5, 1914) was a German physiologist and speech scientist who used the Edison phonograph to test theories of vowel production, particularly those of Robert Willis and Charles Wheatstone. He coined the ...

's "Handbuch der Physiologie", Leipzig 1881) * ''Zeitschrift für Biologie'' (as publisher, together with

Ludwig von Buhl Ludwig von Buhl (4 January 1816 – 30 July 1880) was a German pathologist born in Munich. He studied medicine in Munich and Vienna, and in 1847 was habilitated as a lecturer of pathological anatomy and microscopy at the University of Munich. In 18 ...

und

Max von Pettenkofer Max Joseph Pettenkofer, ennobled in 1883 as Max Joseph von Pettenkofer (3 December 1818 – 10 February 1901) was a Bavarian chemist and hygienist. He is known for his work in practical hygiene, as an apostle of good water, fresh air and proper s ...

)

References

* * *

External links

* 1831 births 1908 deaths Dietitians People from Amberg German physiologists Science teachers Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich faculty {{Germany-biologist-stub