William Cumming Rose (April 4, 1887 β September 25, 1985) was an American
biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...
and
nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disciplines. In many c ...
. He discovered the amino acid
threonine
Threonine (symbol Thr or T) is an amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an Ξ±-amino group (which is in the protonated βNH form under biological conditions), a carboxyl group (which is in the deprotonated βCOOβ ...
, and his research determined the necessity for
essential amino acid
An essential amino acid, or indispensable amino acid, is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized from scratch by the organism fast enough to supply its demand, and must therefore come from the diet. Of the 21 amino acids common to all life form ...
s in diet and the minimum daily requirements of all amino acids for optimal growth.
Early life
William Cumming Rose was born in Greenville, South Carolina. He attended various local schools, but his father John M. Rose, who was a
Presbyterian minister
Presbyterian (or presbyteral) polity is a method of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or ...
, began to
homeschool
Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...
William in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew when he was 14 years old. He also studied an introductory
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
textbook
A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textboo ...
by
Ira Remsen
Ira Remsen (February 10, 1846 β March 4, 1927) was an American chemist who discovered the artificial sweetener saccharin along with Constantin Fahlberg. He was the second president of Johns Hopkins University.
Early life
Ira Remsen was born ...
. When he was 16, he studied at
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowanβ ...
in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
for his bachelor's degree. He took up graduate education at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
studying
food chemistry
Food chemistry is the study of chemical processes and interactions of all biological and non-biological components of foods. The biological substances include such items as meat, poultry, lettuce, beer, milk as examples. It is similar to biochemist ...
with
Russell Chittenden
Russell Henry Chittenden (18 February 1856 β 26 December 1943) was an American physiological chemist. He conducted pioneering research in the biochemistry of digestion and nutrition.
Early life and education
He was born in New Haven, Connectic ...
and
Lafayette Mendel
Lafayette Benedict Mendel (February 5, 1872 – December 9, 1935) was an American biochemist known for his work in nutrition, with longtime collaborator Thomas B. Osborne, including the study of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, lysine and tryptophan.
...
. He was granted a
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 1911.
Career
Rose taught for a time at
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
with Alonzo Taylor. Taylor recommended him to
University of Texas Galveston Medical School to organize a department of biochemistry. In 1922, he went to the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
as professor of physiological chemistry, a title which was changed to professor of biochemistry in 1936. From 1922 to 1955 he transformed his department into a center of excellence for the training of biochemists.
At Illinois, Rose focused his research work on
amino acid
Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha am ...
metabolism and nutrition. He found that the 19 amino acids then known were not sufficient for growth, and this led to his discovery in 1935 of the last of the common amino acids, Ξ±-amino-Ξ²-hydroxy-n-butyric acid, later named threonine.
His studies also distinguished the amino acids that are absolutely
essential from those that are necessary only for optimal growth. His studies further led him to the point where it was "practicable to evaluate proteins in terms of their ability to meet human needs." In June 1949 he published "Amino Acid Requirements of Man".
Rose served as President of the American Society of Biological Chemists from 1939 to 1941. He was appointed to the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, which advised government agencies on dietary recommendations.
Rose retired from the University of Illinois in 1955.
He recalled the role of Yale through the work of
Samuel William Johnson
Samuel William Johnson (3 July 1830 Kingsboro, New York β 1909) was a U.S. American agricultural chemist. He promoted the movement to bring the sciences to the aid of American farmers through agricultural experiment stations and education in ...
, Chittenden, and Mendel in 1977 with the article "Recollections of personalities involved in the early history of American biochemistry". Further, he recounted the biochemical advances he witnessed in "How did it happen".
Awards and honors
* 1936 β Became a member of the
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
* 1939β1941 β President of the American Society of Biological Chemists
* 1945β1946 β President of the American Institute of Nutrition
* 1949 β Osborne and Mendel Award of the American Institute of Nutrition
* 1952 β Honorary Doctor of Sciences Degree from the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
* 1952 β Willard Gibbs Medal of the
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...
* 1957 β Kenneth A. Spencer award
Spencer award winners
from Kansas City branch of American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...
of the American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...
* 1961 β Twentieth Anniversary Award of the Nutrition Foundation
* 1966 β Received National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social scienc ...
* 1979 β William C. Rose Award
The William C. Rose Award given by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology recognizes outstanding contributions to biochemical and molecular biological research and a demonstrated commitment to the training of younger scientists ...
initiated
References
External links
* H. E. Carter
Herbert Edmund Carter (September 25, 1910 β March 4, 2007) was an American biochemist and educator. He grew up in central Indiana and received his bachelor's degree from DePauw University. He received a Ph.D. in 1934 in organic chemistry from th ...
& Minor J. Coon
William Cumming Rose
from National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
* Daphne A. Roe (1981
William Cumming Rose: A biographical sketch
Journal of Nutrition
''The Journal of Nutrition'' (or shortened as '' JN'' or '' J Nutr'') is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Society for Nutrition. Established in 1928, the journal publishes experimental research on human, animal, cellul ...
111(8):1311β20.
Noyes Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
from American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...
National Historic Chemical Landmarks
The National Historic Chemical Landmarks program was launched by the American Chemical Society in 1992 to recognize significant achievements in the history of chemistry and related professions. The program celebrates the The central science, cent ...
William C. Rose Papers
University of Illinois Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, William Cumming
1887 births
1985 deaths
American biochemists
National Medal of Science laureates
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
American nutritionists