Category Great Scientist

August Weismann was a German biologist and one of the founders of the science of genetics. He is best known for his ‘germ plasm’ theory. Weismann’s early studies were on the hydrozoa, which are small predatory animals which live mostly in the sea.

      Weismann’s research on hydrozoa convinced him that the germ cells of animals contain ‘something essential for the species, something which must be carefully preserved and passed on from one generation to another’.

      Thus was born the theory of the germ plasm, which he embodied in a book first published in German and then in English. Its essence was the notion that all living things contain a special hereditary substance, the germ plasm.

     The general idea is still accepted as valid today, though in place of germ plasm one speaks of chromosomes, genes, and DNA. Weismann’s ideas made him one of the leading biologists of the world.

James Maxwell, a Scottish physicist and mathematician, was a remarkable scientist. He brought together a large number of equations, experiments, and observations related to electricity and magnetism, and showed them to be different manifestations of the same phenomenon.

       Maxwell produced a set of equations that explain the properties of magnetic and electric fields, and help show that light is an electromagnetic wave. He also described the nature of Saturn’s rings as numerous small particles, rather than a solid or fluid ring.

      Maxwell’s contributions in the fields of kinetic theory and thermodynamics are many. He is even believed to have created the first true colour photograph. His contributions played an important role in the advances made in 20th century physics.

Wilhelm Wundt, a German doctor and philosopher, is acknowledged as one of the greatest and most influential psychologists of all time.

       As one of the early pioneers of scientific psychology, Wundt introduced the usage of experimental methods in psychology. He developed psychology as an independent field of science, and set up a laboratory to explore the nature of religious beliefs, identify mental disorders and abnormal behavior, and find damaged part of the brain.

      He also published the first journal of psychology, ‘philosophische studies’ or ‘philosophical studies’ in 1881. Wilhelm Wundt was in fact, the first person to ever call himself a ‘psychologist’.

Joseph Lister, a British surgeon, made surgery safer for generations of patients by introducing sterilization techniques in the operation theatre. His greatest contribution to medicine was to promote the use of carbolic acid as an antiseptic.

     He lived in an era when surgeons wore dirty aprons, surgical instruments were unclean, and surgeons didn’t even wash their hands before carrying out operations. Lister soon realized that urgent changes were needed to prevent so many people dying after surgery, due to infection. He tested what would happen if the surgical instruments and bandages were treated with carbolic acid, and he was pleased to see that infection was significantly reduced.

     Other surgeons soon followed his example. Carbolic acid was used on bandages, and was even sprayed into the air during operations to kill bacteria, and reduce the risk of the wound becoming infected.

    Lister is often called the ‘father of modern surgery’ because of the life saving precautions he introduced in the field of surgery.

Gustav Kirchhoff, a German physicist, is remembered for his pioneering work in spectroscopy, which permitted investigation of the chemical composition of stars.

       His circuit laws are the foundation of electrical engineering. In 1845, while still only a student at the university, Kirchhoff wrote a paper detailing his circuit laws.

      Kirchhoff discovered that radiation is given off by all objects that have a temperature greater than absolute zero, and gave a proof for his law of thermal radiation in 1861. He experimented with electrical circuits and spectroscopy, and coined the term ‘black-body’ radiation in 1862.

       Along with Robert Bunsen, Kirchhoff founded the science of spectrum analysis by proving that every element gives off a characteristic wave length of light when heated to incandescence.

     He also discovered that when light is passed through a gas, the gas absorbs those wavelengths it would have emitted if heated. This discovery was of great importance to the field of astronomy.

Louis Pasteur, a French chemist and microbiologist made many important discoveries related to the immune system, vaccinations, chemistry, and the nature of diseases.

     Pasteur’s work helped show that microorganisms are the true cause of many diseases. Pasteur used his knowledge of germs to investigate how beverages such as wine and milk were spoiled by microbes such as bacteria.

      He found that heating up the liquids would kill most of the microbes, and allow the beverages to last longer, and be safer to drink. This process became known as pasteurization, and is still done on many foods such as milk, vinegar, wines, cheese, and juices. He studied the immune system and vaccination through his research, and helped produce the first vaccine for rabies, saving the life of a young boy in 1885.

     Pasteur is also responsible for many breakthroughs in the field of chemistry. He discovered the molecular basis for the asymmetry of certain crystals, and made important discoveries related to the nature of tartaric acid.

     Today, Louis Pasteur is known as one of the most important scientist in history.