Gerrit Grijns (May 28, 1865 – November 11, 1944), was a Dutch researcher and co-discoverer of vitamin B1 (

thiamine Thiamine, also known as thiamin and vitamin B1, is a vitamin, an essential micronutrient, that cannot be made in the body. It is found in food and commercially synthesized to be a dietary supplement or medication. Phosphorylated forms of thi ...

) as the successor to the later Nobel Prize winner Christiaan Eijkman . It was Eijkman who in the former Dutch East Indies was the first to associate the deficiency disease

beriberi Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1). A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. The two main types in adults are wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system, ...

with the lack of the outer membrane in machine-peeled

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

. Eijkman fell ill and returned to Europe. His successor Grijns believed that the membrane contains a substance that is indispensable for a healthy metabolism. By writing of "partial hunger" and "protective substance" in 1901, Grijns anticipated the concept of

vitamin A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrie ...

s. In 1917 Grijns had to leave the Dutch East Indies for health reasons. After returning to the Netherlands, Grijns became professor of animal physiology at

Wageningen University Wageningen University & Research (also known as Wageningen UR; abbreviation: WUR) is a public university in Wageningen, Netherlands, specializing in life sciences with a focus on agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. It is a globally ...

in 1921, where he taught and conducted research until 1935. From 1929-1930 he was Rector Magnificus of the Landbouwhogeschool Wageningen. On 28 May 1924, Grijns became a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Grijns was nominated in 1926 and 1927 for the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

for medicine together with Eijkman. When Eijkman (and Frederick Hopkins) received the prize in 1929, Grijns was passed over.

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External links

Gerrit Grijns: (May 28, 1865 — November 11, 1944)
- ''Journal of Nutrition'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Grijns, Gerrit 1865 births 1944 deaths Dutch physiologists Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Vitamin researchers