1. History of Neurology Joseph Erlanger, MD (1874 – 1965)
Herbert Gasser, MD (1888 – 1963)
The Wash U “Axonologists” and The Connection to the Brits
Richard J. Barohn, MD
The University of Kansas Medical Center

2. Joseph Erlanger, MD (1874-1965) The Wash U “Axonologist”
Born in San Francisco, CA
Parents were Jewish-German immigrants
1895
BS; UC Berkley
1899
John’s Hopkins Medical School and Internship
Worked under Osler
Patented a new type of Sphygmomanometer
Assistant & Associate Professor in Physiology & worked in GI and Cardiology
1906
1st Chair of Physiology; Univ of Wisconsin Madison
Gasser was his student
1910
Moved to Wash U in St. Louis
Initial work in Cardiology then switch to Neuroscience
Influence from Gasser who wanted to record nerve action potentials
1922
Amplified action potentials of bullfrog sciatic nerve (Am J Phys)
Also studied frog nerves, cat tibial nerves, & dog phrenic nerve
1921
Landmark Publication in Neuroscience

3. Herbert Gasser, MD (1888-1963) The Wash U “Axonologist”
1888 – Born: Platteville, WI; Father was an Austrian immigrant & physician
1907 – University of Wisconsin for undergraduate & medical school
1909 – Began working under Erlanger
1913 – Transferred to John’s Hopkins to finish MD
1916 – Went back to Univ. of Wisconsin briefly then to Washington Univ.
Break to serve in WW1 in physiology of chemical warfare
Then Rockefeller grant fellow in London Paris and Munich-learned about new lab equipment
1921 – Professor in Pharmacology at the age of 32
1931 – Professor of Phys at Cornell Medical College NYC
– 2nd Director of the Rockefeller Institute (after Simon Flexner)
1936 – Gasser and Erlanger gave a series of lectures at the Univ. of Penn summarizing their research into the actions of human nerve cells.
1944 – Jointly received the Nobel Prize

4. Herbert Gasser, MD & Joseph Erlanger, MD Their Discoveries
first discovery
Increased amplification of nerve recordings by 2 techniques:
New Western Electric cathode ray tube for displaying nerve impulses oscillography defibrillator
A 3 (multistage) vacuum tube amplifier
Recorded actions potential of nerve trunk with greater accuracy & reproducibility & magnified nerve events up to 7,000 times
1921 – American Physiological Society showed plot of action potential
1922 – A Study of the Action Current of Nerve with the Cathode Ray Oscillograph (Amer. J. Physiol., 1922;62: )

5. Herbert Gasser, MD & Joseph Erlanger, MD Additional Discoveries
2nd Discovery:
Showed actions potential was complex
Indicated conductions at diff velocities for diff nerve fibers and also that thresholds for stimulation was different
3rd Discovery:
Showed velocity of impulse is greater in larger fibers
4th Discovery:
This ultimately led to classification of fibers as
Type A. largest/fastest
Type C. unmyelinated/slowest
Type B intermediate
Fiber types associated w/ functions-light touch, dull & sharp pain, temp
Nobel citation for “discoveries relating to the highly differentiated functions of nerve fibers"
Amer J Physiol. 1922;62: )

6. Herbert Gasser, MD & Joseph Erlanger, MD
In early 1920’s made very primitive cathode ray oscillograph
Some exploded!!
“ I can only compare their progress to the trek of the pioneers in oxcarts across the plains and mountains of the West. They were pioneers of electrophysiology and they encountered every kind of obstacle but the Indian. Far more time was spent of reconstruction than on recording of nerve, when one good record occasionally made a successful day.”
G. Bishop, 1966 quoted in O’Leary and S Goldring, Science and Epilepsy . New York: Raven Press, 1976,p.150

7. Gasser, Erlanger, & Sir/Baron Edgar Adrian
Adrian, in Cambridge UK had studied with Lucas the “all-or-nothing” principle for nerve
Lucas, his mentor, died in WW1-airplane crash
Forbes, an American, worked with Sherrington & then Adrian/Lucas
1919 he learned about vacuum tube amplifiers in WW1 & showed he could multiple tiny potentials to 50 times
single-stage amplifier
Then Adrian read about Earlanger/Gasser’s multistage amp (1921 paper) & asked Gasser for instructions on how to build a new one
This allowed his lab to record from single neurons- Adrian & Zotterman
Nobel Prize with Sherrington in 1932 when he was 43
Adrian and Zotterman 1926; Ibid. 61: p. 151.