Johannes Peter Müller

Johannes Peter Müller(14 July 1801 – 28 April 1858) was a Germanphysiologist,comparative anatomist,ichthyologist, andherpetologist, known not only for his discoveries but also for his ability to synthesize knowledge. Theparamesonephric duct(Müllerian duct) was named in his honor.
Müller was born inCoblenz. He was the son of a poorshoemaker, and was about to be apprenticed to asaddlerwhen his talents attracted the attention of his teacher, and he prepared himself to become a Roman Catholic Priest.During hiscollegecourse in Koblenz, he devoted himself to theclassicsand made his own translations ofAristotle. At first, his intention was to become a priest.
When he was eighteen, his love for natural science became dominant, and he turned to medicine,entering theUniversity of Bonnin 1819. There he received hisM.D.in 1822. He then studied at theUniversity of Berlin. There, under the influence ofG. W. F. HegelandKarl Rudolphi, he was induced to reject all systems of physiology which were not founded upon a strict observation of nature.Hehabilitedthere in 1824.
He becamePrivatdozentof physiology and comparative anatomy at the University of Bonn in 1824, extraordinary professor of physiology in 1826, and ordinary professor in 1830. In 1833 he went to the University of Berlin, where he filled the chair of anatomy and physiology until his death.
Müller made contributions in numerous domains of physiology, in particular increasing understanding of thevoice,speechandhearing, as well as the chemical and physical properties oflymph,chyleand blood. His first important works,Zur vergleichenden Physiologie des Gesichtssinns(On the comparative physiology of sight, Leipzig, 1826) andÜber die phantastischen Gesichtserscheinungen(On visual hallucination, Coblenz, 1826), are of asubjectivephilosophical tendency. The first work concerns the most important facts as to human and animal sight, the second sounds depths of difficult psychological problems. He soon became the leader in the science of the morphological treatment of zoology as well as of experimental physiology. To his research (1830) is due the settlement of the theory of reflex action.
In the century preceding Müller's work, many contributions to physiological science had been made. Müller gave order to these facts, developed general principles and showed physiologists how recent discoveries in physics and chemistry could be applied to their work.
The appearance of hismagnum opus,Handbuch der Physiologie des Menschen, between 1833 and 1840 (translated into English asElements of PhysiologybyWilliam Baly, and published in London 1837–1843) marked the beginning of a new period in the study of physiology. In it, for the first time, the results of human and comparative anatomy, as well as ofchemistryand other departments of physical science, and tools like themicroscope, were brought to bear on the investigation of physiological problems.
The most important portion of the work was that dealing with nervous action and the mechanism of the senses. Here he stated the principle, previously recognized but not stated as clearly, that the kind of sensation following stimulation of a sensory nerve does not depend on the mode of stimulation but upon the nature of the sense organ.Thus light, pressure, or mechanical stimulation acting on the retina and optic nerve invariably produces luminous impressions. This he termed thelaw of specific energiesof the sense.
The book became the leading textbook in physiology for much of the nineteenth century. It manifests Müller's interests invitalism, philosophy and scientific rigor. He discusses the difference between inorganic and organic matter. He considers in detail various physiological systems of a wide variety of animals, but attributes the indivisible whole of an organism to the presence of a soul. He also proposes that living organisms possess a life-energy for which physical laws can never fully account.
Edward ForbesF.R.S. in hisA History of British Starfishes, and Other Animals of the Class Echinodermata(1841) in his preface refers to Muller as "one of the greatest living physiologists, Muller of Berlin".
In the later part of his life he chiefly devoted himself to comparative anatomy. Fishes and marine invertebrates were his favorite subjects.He took 19 trips to theBalticandNorth Sea, theAdriaticand theMediterraneanto investigate salt-water life.
He authored a comprehensive work on the anatomy ofamphibians, which in his era includingreptiles. Also, he described several new species ofsnakes.
Müller coined the termdesmoid, from the Greekdesmos'tendon-like', in 1838.The same year, he also describedphyllodes tumors, which he called cystosarcoma phyllodes.
Müller mentored such distinguished scientists and physiologists asHermann von Helmholtz,Emil du Bois-Reymond,Fritz Müller,Theodor Schwann,Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle,Ernst Wilhelm Brücke,Carl LudwigandErnst Haeckel. In 1834, he was elected a foreign member of theRoyal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In 1846, theAmerican Philosophical Societyelected him an international Member.
Müller died in Berlin in 1858. In 1899, a bronze statue byJoseph Uphueswas erected in his memory in Koblenz.
In addition to hisHandbuch der Physiologie(translated by Baly in 1843:Elements of Physiology), his publications include:
After the death ofJ. F. Meckel(1781–1833) he edited theArchiv für Anatomie und Physiologie.
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