Franz Ernst Christian Neumann

Franz Ernst Christian Neumann (January 30, 1834 - March 6, 1918) was a German pathologist who was a native of Königsberg. His common name was Ernst Christian Neumann (without Franz at the beginning).

Ernst Neumann, on the desk of the Institute of Pathologie, Königsberg towards 1900

Life

He was the son of physicist Franz Ernst Neumann (1798–1895), and grandson of chemist Karl Gottfried Hagen (1749–1829). He had two noted brothers, mathematician Carl Gottfried Neumann (1832–1925) and economist Friedrich Julius Neumann, see German version Wikipedia, (1835–1910).

In 1855 he obtained his doctorate from Albertina Universität Königsberg, where one of his instructors was Hermann von Helmholtz. He performed post-graduate studies in Prague, and in Berlin under Rudolf Virchow (1821–1902). From 1866 until 1903 he was in charge of the Pathological Institute at Konigsberg. Neumann was awarded honorary degrees from the Universities of Tübingen (1898) and Geneva (1914). In 1995, the first International Ernst Neumann Award has been initiated by the 24.Meeting of "International Society for Experimental Hematology in Düsseldorf/ Germany. The first recipient of this award was Donald Medcalf from Melbourne ([1] )

Scientific career

Ernst Neumann made many contributions in the field of hematology. He demonstrated that erythropoiesis and leukopoiesis formulate in the bone marrow. “Ernst Neumann postulated a common stem cell for all hematopoietic cells” (Brittinger, 1995). In 2007, Zech et al. wrote: “The beginning of Stem Cell research can be dated back to Ernst Neumann, who was appointed professor of pathology at Koenigsberg in 1866 and described in a preliminary communication the presence of nucleated red blood cells in bone marrow (BM) saps. He concluded in his subsequent papers, that during postembryonic life, erythropoiesis and leukopoiesis are taking place in the BM. On the basis of his observation, Ernst Neumann was the first to postulate the BM as blood forming organ with a common SC for all hematopoietic cells” (Zech,N.H., Shkumatov, A. Koestenbauer,S., 2007)

"Among his "firsts" were the identification of leukemia and of pernicious anemia as diceases of the marrow. He coined the term myelogeneous leukemia, (today's acute myeloid leukemia), and described in 1882 the law of dissemination concerning yellow and red bone marrow. In effect, he recognized a phenomenon that is sometimes referred to us as Neumann's law. It states that at birth all bones that contain marrow contain red marrow. With age, the blood producing activity contracts toward the center of the body, leaving the more peripheral bones with only fatty marrow. Neumann was supported by Giulio Bizzozero and by Claude Bernard, but there were also Pouchet and Georges Hayem to repudiate him. Despite all the opposition, however, within two decades, Neumann's discovery was a scientific axiom! The brilliance of the truth may first be blinding, but ultimately it supersedes all artificial illuminators" (Tavassoli 1983, p. 62 - 72)

In 1871, Neumann described congenital epulis (CE) of the newborn. Neumann also published an early work on medical electrodiagnosis and formed the name "Hämosiderin" as hematological pigment.

History of Stem-Cell

Legend of the stem cell-picture: Draft by Ernst Neumann himself, showing the “great-lymphozyt-stem-cell” (1912) or “great-lymphocyt” as stem cell for the postembryonic and embryonic development of erythropoiesis and leukopoiesis in the bone marrow and, as shown here, in the embryonic liver; GrLK: nucleus of great-lymphocyt-stem-cell; Erblk: Erythroblast; (Neumann 1914).

In 1868, Neumann described the "lymphoid marrow cell" (Neumann: Blood and Pigments 1917(BP), S.33) in the bone marrow. "It is evident, that a continuing transformation of lymphoid cells into coloured blood cells takes place in the bone marrow during the whole life" Neumann 1869, BP, p. 19. This "lympoid marrow cell" forms not only the erythropoiesis but it is capable (in itself) to self regeneration: “In order of the size differences of the lymphoid marrow-cells, we will be able to suppose that a permanent fluctuation will take place in the bone marrow" (Neumann 1869, BP p. 30). 1912: Until 1912 Neumann called the stem cell "lymphocyte", "great lymphocyte" or "lymphomyeloblast". Since that time, he declared: "The different forms of all blood cells happening in the blood, the lymph-organs and in the bone marrow are all descendants of the great-lymphocytic stem cell." (BP, page 313). "In which way this stem cell completes itself again and again, whether exclusively by a mitotic division or also from other cells particularly from cells of the mesenteric tissue, may be discussed." (Neumann, BP p. 313) Neumann was advocate of the Unitarien Point of View: All blood cells shall be descended from this post embryonic stem cell. As it is well known, a quarrel broke out between dualists and unitarians (Paul Ehrlich). Neumann's farsightedness demanded a stem cell culture for the completion of the quarrel: "Perhaps a final decision will only arrive, if it possible, to isolate the individual colourless cells and to study its life events in vitro culture for some time, as Robert Koch demonstrated with the bacteria" (Neumann 1912, BP, p. 329, see also References: H. Neumann and Y. Klinger)

Associated eponyms

References

  1. ↑ Award at www.ernst-neumann-koenigsberg.de

"Despite the intensity of the search, Neumanns observations did not catch on easily. Neumann was supported by G. Bizzozero and by Claude Bernard, but there were also Pouchet and Hayem to repudiate him."(Tavassoli 1983, p. 62 - 72)

Literature

Bibliography of Ernst Neumann: (another picture of the famous stem cell look at the German version of Wikipedia: Ernst Christian Neumann, see Link

External links