Johannes Peter Müller
Johannes Peter Müller
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Johannes Peter Müller was a renowned German physiologist, anatomist, and zoologist born as Johann Peter Müller. He is often referred to as "Müller" in scientific literature.
Birth and Death Dates
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Born on July 14, 1801, in Coblenz (now Koblenz), Germany, Müller passed away on April 28, 1858, in Berlin, Prussia (now part of Germany).
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Müller was a German national with multifaceted expertise in physiology, anatomy, and zoology. His academic background spanned various disciplines, including medicine, natural history, and comparative anatomy.
Early Life and Background
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Growing up in Coblenz, Müller developed an early interest in natural sciences. He studied at the University of Bonn under prominent scholars, where he earned his medical degree in 1823. His exposure to the works of prominent scientists like Carl Friedrich Burdach significantly influenced his career choices.
Major Accomplishments
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Müller's most notable contributions were in the fields of comparative anatomy and physiology. Some of his key achievements include:
Establishment of Comparative Anatomy: Müller laid the foundation for modern comparative anatomy by demonstrating that different species share a common ancestry.
Innervation Theory: He proposed the concept of innervation, which describes how nerves control various bodily functions.
Physiological Research: Müller conducted extensive research on various physiological processes, including digestion and respiration.Notable Works or Actions
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Some of Müller's notable works include:
"Handbuch der Physiologie des Menschen für Vorlesungen" (1833-1840): A comprehensive textbook on human physiology that detailed the structure and function of various bodily systems.
* "Zoology for Ladies and Gentleman": Müller wrote this influential book to make zoological knowledge accessible to a broader audience.
Impact and Legacy
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Müller's contributions had a profound impact on scientific understanding in his time. His work laid the groundwork for future generations of scientists, influencing prominent thinkers like Charles Darwin and Ernst Haeckel. Today, Müller is remembered as one of the pioneers of comparative anatomy and physiology.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Müller's quotes often highlight his emphasis on understanding the interconnectedness of living organisms. His words continue to inspire scientists and scholars interested in comparative anatomy and physiology.
Quotes by Johannes Peter Müller
Sensation is not the conduction of a quality or state of external bodies to consciousness, but the conduction of a quality or state of our nerves to consciousness, excited by an external cause.
It is exceedingly improbable that the identical action of the corresponding parts of the two retina is the result of a certain habituation, or of the influence of the mind.
To speak, therefore, of an electric current in the nerves, is to use quite as symbolic an expression as if we compared the action of the nervous principle with light or magnetism.
The organizing principle, which according to an eternal law creates the different essential organs of the body, and animates them, is not itself seated in one particular organ.
The essential attribute of a new sense is, not the perception of external objects or influences which ordinarily do not act upon the senses, but that external causes should excite in it a new and peculiar kind of sensation different from all the sensations of our five senses.
The cooperation of the two retina in one field of vision, whatever is its cause, must rather be the source of all the ideas to which single or double vision may give rise.
The sense organs experience the external light, sound, etc. with difficulty; the different sense organs only have a so-called specific receptivity for particular stimuli.
We shall probably never attain the power of measuring the velocity of nervous action; for we have not the opportunity of comparing its propagation through immense space, as we have in the case of light.
Physiology is the science which treats of the properties of organic bodies, animal and vegetable, of the phenomena they present, and of the laws which govern their actions. Inorganic substances are the objects of other sciences, – physics and chemistry.
A good physiological experiment like a good physical one requires that it should present anywhere, at any time, under identical conditions, the same certain and unequivocal phenomena that can always be confirmed.