Henry Clapp Sherman (October 16, 1875 – October 7, 1955) was an American food chemist and nutritionist. He was professor of chemistry at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and a president of the American Society of Biological Chemists.

Biography

Sherman was born in Ash Grove, Virginia.King, Charles Glen. (1975). ''Henry Clapp Sherman October 16, 1875–October 7, 1955''. National Academy of Sciences. pp. 397-398 He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the

Maryland Agricultural College Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to it ...

in 1893, a Master of Science degree from Columbia University in 1896 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1897. From 1899 until his retirement he was a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at Columbia University and Professor of Food Chemistry. He was Executive Officer of the Department of Chemistry (1919-1939) and was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Science in 1929. He provided early evidence that enzymes such as

amylase An amylase () is an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of starch (Latin ') into sugars. Amylase is present in the saliva of humans and some other mammals, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Foods that contain large amounts of ...

could consist of pure

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

and pioneered quantitive studies on the physiological impact of vitamin A, B1, B2, C calcium, phosphorus, iron and protein.

Personal life

He married Cora Aldrich Bowen on September 9, 1903. They had four children: Phoebe (deceased, 1929), Henry Alvord (chemical engineer), William Bowen (medicine, deceased, 1971), and Caroline Clapp (biochemist, Mrs. Oscar E. Lanford, Jr.).

Honors and awards

* 1926 President, American Society of Biological Chemists * 1933 National Academy of Sciences, elected member * 1934

William H. Nichols Medal The William H. Nichols Medal is awarded annually for original research in chemistry. Nominees must have made a "significant and original contribution in any field of chemistry" during the five years preceding the presentation date. The medallist ...

* 1947

Franklin Medal The Franklin Medal was a science award presented from 1915 until 1997 by the Franklin Institute located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. It was founded in 1914 by Samuel Insull Samuel Insull (November 11, 1859 – July 16, 1938) was a Bri ...

* 1949 Chandler Medal, Columbia University * 1950 Borden Award, American Institute of Nutrition

Selected publications

''Chemistry of Food and Nutrition''
(1911)
''Food Products''
(1914, 1948)
''Methods of Organic Analysis''
(1915) *''The Chemistry of Food and Nutrition'' (1918) *''The Science of Nutrition'' (1943) *''Foods: Their Values and Management'' (1946) *''Food and Health'' (1947) *''Calcium and Phosphorus in Foods and Nutrition'' (1947) *''The Nutritional Improvement of Life'' (1950) *''Essentials of Nutrition'' (1951)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Henry Clapp 1875 births 1955 deaths 20th-century American chemists American food chemists American food writers American nutritionists Columbia University alumni Columbia University faculty Dietitians Vitamin researchers