Ralph W. Gerard
| Ralph Waldo Gerard | |
|---|---|
| Born |
7 October 1900 Harvey, Illinois, USA |
| Died | 17 February 1974 (aged 73) USA |
| Fields | Neurophysiologist, behavioral science and general systems theory |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago |
| Known for | Nerve metabolism, psycho pharmacology, and biological bases of schizophrenia |
| Influences | Anton Carlson, Archibald Hill, Ralph Lillie, Otto Meyerhof and Julius Stieglitz |
Ralph Waldo Gerard LLD DLitt (7 October 1900 – 17 February 1974) was an American neurophysiologist and behavioral scientist known for his wide-ranging work on the nervous system, nerve metabolism, psychopharmacology, and biological basis of schizophrenia.
Gerard was born in Harvey, Illinois. He was an uncommon intellectual and was encouraged in science by his father Maurice Gerard, who received an engineering degree in England, then moved to America to work as an engineering consultant. Maurice encouraged Ralph in mathematics and chess. In his teens, Ralph beat the American chess champion playing simultaneous matches in Chicago. He completed high school in two years and entered the University of Chicago at age fifteen. Ralph was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity.
In Chicago, Gerard studied chemistry and physiology. In chemistry, he was influenced by Julius Stieglitz and in physiology and neurophysiology he was influenced by Anton Carlson and Ralph Lillie. He received his B.S. degree in 1919, and a doctorate in physiology in 1921 at the University of Chicago. Shortly thereafter he married the psychiatrist Margaret Wilson, who had just completed her doctorate in neuroanatomy. She became an outstanding practitioner of child psychiatry until her death in 1954. Gerard started as professor of physiology at the University of South Dakota, but returned to the Rush Medical College to finish his medical training where he received his M.D. degree in 1925. Afterwards he went to Europe on a National Research Council Fellowship for two years to work in biophysics and biochemistry with A. V. Hill in London and Otto Meyerhof in Kiel.
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