Jacob Moleschott (9 August 1822 – 20 May 1893) was a Dutch

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 a ...

and writer on dietetics. He is known for his philosophical views in regard to scientific materialism. He was a member of

German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (german: Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften), short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded ...

(since 1884).

Life

Born in

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, Moleschott studied at

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

, where he obtained his PhD in 1845, and began the practice of medicine in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

in 1845, but soon moved back to Heidelberg University, where he lectured on

physiology 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 ...

starting in 1847. The university reprimanded Moleschott for various controversial statements made in his lectures, leading to his resignation in 1854. Next to

Carl Vogt August Christoph Carl Vogt (; 5 July 18175 May 1895) was a German scientist, philosopher, popularizer of science, and politician who emigrated to Switzerland. Vogt published a number of notable works on zoology, geology and physiology. All his l ...

and

Ludwig Büchner Friedrich Karl Christian Ludwig Büchner (29 March 1824 – 30 April 1899) was a German philosopher, physiologist and physician who became one of the exponents of 19th-century scientific materialism. Biography Büchner was born at Darmstadt on ...

, Moleschott stood in the center of the public debates about

materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materiali ...

in Germany in the 1850s. He taught as a professor of physiology at

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

(1856), at

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

(1861), and at

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

(1879), where he died.

Writings

Moleschott explained the origin and condition of animals by the working of physical causes. He was an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

. His characteristic formulae were "no thought without

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...

" and "the brain secretes thought as the liver secretes

bile Bile (from Latin ''bilis''), or gall, is a dark-green-to-yellowish-brown fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is produced continuously by the liver (liver bile ...

." His major works are: * ''Lehre der Nahrungsmittel. Für das Volk'' (Erlangen, 1850; 3rd edition, Erlangen, 1858) * ''Physiologie der Nahrungsmittel'' (1850; second edition, 1859) * ''Physiologie des Stoffwechsels in Pflanzen und Thieren'' (1851) * ''Der Kreislauf des Lebens'' (1852; fifth edition, 1887) * ''Untersuchungen zur Naturlehre des Menschen und der tiere'' (1856–93), continued after his death by Colosanti and Fubini * ''Sulla vita umana'' (1861–67), a collection of essays * ''Physiologisches Skizzenbuch'' (1861) * ''Consigli e conforti nei tempi di colera'' (1864; third edition, 1884) * ''Sull' influenza della luce mista e cromatica nell' esalazione di acido carbonico per l'organismo animale'' (1879), with Fubini * ''Kleine Schriften'' (1880–87), collected essays and addresses * ''Für meine Freunde'' (1894) The Jacob Moleschoot fund is kept in the

Archiginnasio of Bologna The Archiginnasio of Bologna is one of the most important buildings in the city of Bologna; once the main building of the University of Bologna, it currently houses the Archiginnasio Municipal Library and the Anatomical Theatre. In the heart of ...

's public library .

Notes

References

* Andreas Daum, ''Wissenschaftspopularisierung im 19. Jahrhundert: Bürgerliche Kultur, naturwissenschaftliche Bildung und die deutsche Öffentlichkeit, 1848–1914''. Munich: Oldenbourg, 1998, , 2nd. edition 2002, including a short biography of Moleschott. *Fredrick Gregory: ''Scientific Materialism in Nineteenth Century Germany'', Springer, 1977, *

External links

Short biography and bibliography
in the

Virtual Laboratory The online project Virtual Laboratory. Essays and Resources on the Experimentalization of Life, 1830-1930, located at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, is dedicated to research in the history of the experimentalization of life. Th ...

of the

Max Planck Institute for the History of Science The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (German: Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte) is a scientific research institute founded in March 1994. It is dedicated to addressing fundamental questions of the history of knowledg ...

The Popular Science Monthly, Volume 49
Sketch of Jacob Moleschott {{DEFAULTSORT:Moleschott, Jacob 1822 births 1893 deaths Dutch academics Dutch atheists Dutch physiologists Materialists People from 's-Hertogenbosch