APPENDIX VII
BIOGRAPHIES OF NOTABLE PERSONALITIES
Auenbrugger, [Josef] Leopold (1722–1809)
Austrian physician, also known as Leopold von
Auenbrugg, who developed chest percussion as a
diagnostic method. Auenbrugger recognized that
fluid accumulations in the tissues changed the
densities of the structures and consequently their
tonal qualities. The method became a mainstay of
diagnosis for cardiomyopathy (enlargement of the
heart characteristic of heart failure) and lung con-
ditions such as pulmonary edema, pneumonia,
and tuberculosis.
Avicenna(980–1037) Persian physician and
philosopher, also known as Ibn Sina, who earned
recognition and fame before he turned 20 for his
gifts as a healer. Among Avicenna’s numerous
writings was The Canon of Medicine (Canticum de
medicina),14 volumes that covered health, dis-
ease, treatment, and prevention. The Canon of Med-
icine was a primary medical text throughout
Europe from the 11th to the 17th century.
Axelrod, Julius (1912–2004) American
research scientist who discovered the reuptake
process of the brain neurotransmitters epineph-
rine and norepinephrine, work for which he
received a share of the Nobel Prize for Physiology
or Medicine in 1970. Axelrod also conducted key
research of the pineal gland, contributing to
understanding of the hormone melatonin, and of
analgesic medications (pain relievers), contribut-
ing to the discovery of acetaminophen.
Banting, Frederick (1891–1941) Canadian
physician and researcher who, with medical stu-
dent Charles Best and physician John Macleod,
discovered insulin and its connection to diabetes.
Banting and Macleod shared the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine in 1923 for this discovery.
Barnard, Christiaan (1922–2001) South
African surgeon who performed the first human
heart transplant operation in 1967. Barnard trans-
planted the heart of a young woman who
received fatal injuries in an auto accident, Denise
Darvall, into the chest of Louis Washkansky, a 55-
year-old dentist in the end stages of heart failure.
Washkansky lived only 18 days with his new
heart before dying of pneumonia; however, by the
1990s heart transplantation became the standard
of care for end-stage heart failure. During his
career Barnard pioneered numerous surgical tech-
niques and devices for heart surgery.
Beaumont, William(1785–1853) US Army
surgeon who studied the workings of the stomach
through a healed gunshot wound that left an
opening into the stomach of his patient Alexis St.
Martin. Beaumont used the opening to observe
the processes of the stomach’s stages of digestion.
Beaumont collected samples of “gastric juices”
and analyzed them, discovering the chemical
composition of stomach acid to be primarily
hydrochloric acid. Beaumont detailed his experi-
ments and findings in his book Experiments and
Observations on the Gastric Juice and the Physiology of
Digestionpublished in 1833.
Bernard, Claude(1813–1878) French physi-
ologist who studied and documented numerous
dimensions of human physiology, key among
them the functions of the pancreas in digestion
and the discovery of vasomotor nerves (nerves
that cause blood vessels to dilate or constrict).
Bernard’s most significant postulation was that
the interior environment of the human body
remained stable relative to the external environ-
ment. This postulation became the foundation for
the contemporary concept of homeostasis.
Best, Charles(1899–1978) Canadian medical
student whose work with physician Frederick
Banting resulted in the discovery of insulin.410