Willibald Nagel (19 June 1870 – 13 November 1911) 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 a ...

, best known for his work in the field of sensory physiology. Born in

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...

, Nagel earned doctorates in sciences (1892) and medicine (1893), obtaining 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 a ...

two years later at the

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisg ...

as an assistant to physiologist

Johannes von Kries Johannes Adolf von Kries (6 October 1853 – 30 December 1928) was a German physiological psychologist who formulated the modern “duplicity” or “duplexity” theory of vision mediated by rod cells at low light levels and three types of con ...

. In 1902 he became an associate professor in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, where he was appointed head of the sensory physiology department in the institute of physiology. In 1908 he was named professor of physiology at the

University of Rostock The University of Rostock (german: link=no, Universität Rostock) is a public university located in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Founded in 1419, it is the third-oldest university in Germany. It is the oldest university in continen ...

.NDB/ADB Deutsche Biographie
Nagel, Willibald His primary areas of work involved physiological

optics Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultraviole ...

, physiology in regards to

sense of smell The sense of smell, or olfaction, is the special sense through which smells (or odors) are perceived. The sense of smell has many functions, including detecting desirable foods, hazards, and pheromones, and plays a role in taste. In humans, it ...

and

taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

, studies of position and motion sensations and the physiology of the vocal organs, to name a few. He is best remembered for the development of ophthalmic instruments and aids—he built an adaptometer for measuring

dark adaptation Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown. Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low l ...

of the eyes, an

anomaloscope An anomaloscope is an instrument and color vision test, often used to quantify and characterize color blindness. They are expensive and require specialized knowledge to operate, but are viewed as the gold standard for color vision standards. As a ...

for the study of

color blindness Color blindness or color vision deficiency (CVD) is the decreased ability to color vision, see color or differences in color. It can impair tasks such as selecting ripe fruit, choosing clothing, and reading traffic lights. Color blindness may ...

, and introduced the so-called ''Nagelschen Farbtäfelchen'' (Nagel's color tablet) for the testing of

color perception Color vision, a feature of visual perception, is an ability to perceive differences between light composed of different wavelengths (i.e., different spectral power distributions) independently of light intensity. Color perception is a part of ...

. With

Hermann Ebbinghaus Hermann Ebbinghaus (24 January 185026 February 1909) was a German psychologist who pioneered the experimental study of memory, and is known for his discovery of the forgetting curve and the spacing effect. He was also the first person to describ ...

, he was co-editor of the journal ''Zeitschrift für psychologie und physiologie der sinnesorgane''.Google Search
(publications) He died in

Rostock Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, c ...

Associated eponym

* Nagel's test: a test for

color vision Color vision, a feature of visual perception, is an ability to perceive differences between light composed of different wavelengths (i.e., different spectral power distributions) independently of light intensity. Color perception is a part of ...

in which the observer determines the relative amounts of red and green in order to match spectral yellow.Mondofacto Dictionary
Nagel's test

Published works

He was the author of the popular ''Handbuch der Physiologie des Menschen'' (Handbook of

Human Physiology The human body is the structure of a human being. It is composed of many different types of cells that together create tissues and subsequently organ systems. They ensure homeostasis and the viability of the human body. It comprises a head ...

), published in five volumes from 1904 to 1910. The following are a few of his many writings involving physiology of the senses: * ''Die niederen Sinne der Insekten'' (The Lower Senses of Insects), 1892. * ''Tafeln zur Diagnose der Farbenblindheit'' (Table for Diagnosis of Color Blindness), 1898. * ''Die Lage-, Bewegungs- und Widerstandsempfindungen'' (Position, Movement and Resistance Sensations), 1904. * ''Allgemeine Einleitung zur Physiologie der Sinne'' (General Introduction to Sensory Physiology), 1904. * ''Methoden zur erforschung des licht- und farbensinns'' (Methods for the Exploration of Light and Color Perception), 1908.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagel, Willibald 1870 births 1911 deaths German physiologists Humboldt University of Berlin faculty Scientists from Tübingen University of Rostock faculty