The New Student's Reference Work/Müller, Johannes

1018359The New Student's Reference Work — Müller, Johannes

Müller, Johan'nes, a distinguished German physiologist, was born at Coblentz in 1801 and died at Berlin in 1858. He became professor of physiology at Bonn in 1826 and at the University of Berlin in 1833. He is a monumental figure in the history of physiology. By wide observation and experiment he founded comparative physiology. He was the trainer of some of the greatest physiologists, as Ludwig, Du Bois-Reymond, Helmholtz and others. In his work he recognized the close connection between physiology and psychology, and thereby made a beginning in physiological psychology. His work was so remarkable that he gained for himself the title of the greatest physiologist of modern times. He was myriad-minded, and later in life gave his attention to zoology, winning in that field the title of the greatest morphologist of modern times. His Handbook of Physiology (1833) is unsurpassed in the method of handling the subject. His anatomy of some of the lower fishes (myxinoids) is remarkable for accuracy and for his appreciation of the meaning of his discoveries.