Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer | |
---|---|
Born |
Hornsey, Middlesex |
2 June 1850
Died | 29 March 1935 North Berwick, East Lothian |
(aged 84)
Nationality | English |
Fields | Physiology |
Alma mater | University College London |
Doctoral advisor | William Sharpey |
Known for | Insulin, endocrine |
Notable awards |
Royal Medal (1902) Copley Medal (1924) |
Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer FRSFRSE (2 June 1850 – 29 March 1935) was an English physiologist.
He is regarded as a founder of endocrinology: in 1894 he discovered and demonstrated the existence of adrenaline together with George Oliver, and he also coined the term "endocrine" for the secretions of the ductless glands. Schafer's method of artificial respiration is named after him.
Schafer coined the word "insulin" after theorising that a single substance from the pancreas was responsible for diabetes mellitus.
He was knighted in 1913.
Born Schäfer, Edward was the third son of city merchant James William Henry Schäfer who had been born in Hamburg but came to Britain as a young man, became a naturalised citizen and settled in Highgate, North London.
Edward attended Clewer House School and then University College London in 1868 where he was taught by the physiologist William Sharpey and became the first Sharpey Scholar in 1873. He was appointed Assistant Professor of Practical Physiology in 1874 and was elected to the Royal Society in 1878 when he was only 28 years old. He was Fullerian Professor at the Royal Institution and became Jodrell Professor at UCL in 1883, a position he held until 1899 when he was appointed to the chair of physiology at the University of Edinburgh where he remained until his retirement in 1933 and becoming Emeritus Professor thereafter. His chair was filled by Prof Ivan De Burgh Daly. Following the move to Edinburgh, he commissioned the Scottish architect Robert Lorimer to design a substantial family house at the coastal town of North Berwick.