Denham Harman

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Denham Harman
Born(1916-02-14)February 14, 1916
University of Nebraska

Denham Harman (February 14, 1916 – November 25, 2014) was an American medical academic who latterly served as professor emeritus at the

free radical theory of aging".[2][3]

Background

Born in San Francisco,[4] he earned his BS and Ph.D. in 1943 from the College of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and his M.D. from Stanford University, finishing his internship in 1954.

Immediately after earning his Ph.D., in 1943, Harman joined the

Shell Oil in Emeryville, California. He worked for six years as a Shell research chemist, in part studying free radical reactions in petroleum products. During that period he was granted 35 patents, one for a compound used in plastic strips to kill flies
("Shell No Pest Strip").

Harman became fascinated with the phenomenon of

in 1958.

Harman was married to the same woman for most of his life, a

lifestyle throughout his life. He never smoked and drank alcohol
in moderation. He ran two miles a day until he was 82. He quit because of a back injury, but he continued to take regular walks to help him maintain a weight of 140 pounds on his 5-foot-10 frame.

Harman died in Omaha, Nebraska, on November 25, 2014, from a short illness, aged 98.[5]

Development of the Free Radical Theory of Aging

In 1954, between his

Medical Physics at UC Berkeley,[2] where he was able to pursue the puzzle of the cause of aging. After four months of frustration he hit upon the idea of free radicals as cause of the damage to macromolecules known as "aging". Although initially other scientists were reluctant to accept his theory, he was finally able to get it published in what is now a much-cited article in the Journal of Gerontology.[6]

Mitochondrial Theory of Aging

After years of frustration over his inability to increase maximum lifespan with antioxidant supplements, Harman came to the conclusion that

mitochondrial theory of aging" in the April 1972 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.[2][7]

Organizational accomplishments

In 1969 Harman became concerned that few of those involved in gerontology were studying the biological aspects of aging, and fewer still had a serious interest in discovering the cause of aging. In 1970 he became a founder of the American Aging Association (AGE) to create a society of scientists focused on aging research and advocacy of aging research. In 1985 he became a founder of the International Association of Biomedical Gerontology (IABG).[2]

References

  1. University of Nebraska at Omaha
    . 2008–2009. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  2. ^ a b c d e Colman, John (July 14, 2009). "Leaders in Modern Gerontology: Denham Harman Takes on the Free Radicals". Humanity+ Magazine. Humanity+. Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  3. ^ a b Cheung, Melissa (June 13, 2003). "Finding The Fountain Of Youth: Doctor Continues Gerontology Research Through His Own Old Age". Health. CBS News. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
  4. .
  5. ^ Staff (25 November 2014). "Doctor behind 'free radical' aging theory dies". United States: Fox News. Associated Press.
  6. PMID 13332224
    .
  7. .

External links