John Newport Langley

John Newport Langley
Born 2 November 1852(1852-11-02)
Newbury, UK
Died 5 November 1925(1925-11-05) (aged 73)
Cambridge, UK
Residence UK
Nationality British
Fields Physiologist
Institutions University of Cambridge
Alma mater University of Cambridge
Doctoral advisor Michael Foster
Doctoral students Walter Morley Fletcher
Known for Autonomic nervous system
Secretion
Notable awards Royal Medal

John Newport Langley (2 November 1852 - 5 November 1925) was a British physiologist. He spent his entire career at Cambridge University. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1883 and later its vice-president.

Langley is known as one of the fathers of the chemical receptor theory, and at the origin of the concept of "receptive substance"[1][2].

References

  1. ^ Langley J.N. (1905) On the reaction of cells and of nerve-endings to certain poisons, chiefly as regards the reaction of striated muscle to nicotine and to curari. J Physiol, 33: 374–413.
  2. ^ Maehle A.-H. (2004). “Receptive Substances”: John Newport Langley (1852–1925) and his Path to a Receptor Theory of Drug Action. Med Hist, 48: 153–174.

References