Joseph Paneth (October 6, 1857 – January 4, 1890) was an Austrian physiologist from Vienna. He was a professor at the Universities of Breslau and Vienna. He was the father of chemist Friedrich Adolf Paneth (1887-1958).
Paneth is remembered for his description of "Paneth cells", which are cells that provide host defense against microbes in the mucosa of the small intestine. He was a good friend of psychologist Sigmund Freud, who made a posthumous reference of Paneth in The Interpretation of Dreams.[1] Paneth is also remembered for his correspondence with philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.