Gastão Rosenfeld

Gastão Rosenfeld (born Budapest, July 26, 1912; died São Paulo, July 15, 1990), was a Brazilian physician and biomedical scientist, one of the co-discoverers of bradykinin, together with Maurício Rocha e Silva and Wilson Teixeira Beraldo, in 1949.

Early life and education

Rosenfeld was born in 1912 in Budapest,

Jewish origin, and came with his parents to Brazil in 1913, graduating in medicine

in 1938.

Career

Hematology, snake venom research

In 1932, he began to devote himself to

Butantan Institute, a research institution located in São Paulo. began in 1945, invited by Prof. William Otto Bier a famous bacteriologist

(then director of the Institute), and soon was charged with organizing and heading the Laboratory of Hematology and being responsible for its research line on Experimental Hematology.

In 1947 Rosenfeld started to work at São Paulo's Biological Institute, but returned to the Institute in 1951. and in 1954 took over as chief physician at the Hospital Vital Brazil, where he served until 1966. The hospital was founded by

symptoms and treatment of victims of animal poisoning. This, in addition, spurred the realization of a large number of laboratory studies. Based on his experience in the field of hematology, Rosenfeld published many studies on the pathophysiology of snake

bite poisoning in experimental animals, and was able to apply this rich knowledge to the clinical area.

Rosenfeld was interested in the study of

blood coagulation

.

Among his many other contributions to biomedical sciences are the development of a rapid

Giemsa techniques in 1947 (Rosenfeld staining), the introduction a new treatment for chronic leukemia using personal control of maintenance dosis (1955) and described hementerin, an anticoagulant isolated of a Brazilian species of leech (Haementeria depressa) jointly with Eva Maria Antonia Kelen

in 1975.

Bradykinin discovery

In 1948, as part of a research team at the Biological Institute, Rosenfeld co-discovered, with two other Brazilian

proteolytic enzymes related to the toxicology

of snake bites, started by Rocha e Silva as early as 1939.

Bradykinin was to prove a new

royalties of such discovery, since they always published in the public domain

of pure scientific knowledge.

Other activities

Rosenfeld was also an important scientific leader, having been involved in the foundation of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science, in 1949.

In addition, he was an accomplished amateur

Instituto Moreira Salles

.

References

Kelen EM, & Gastão Rosenfeld (26/07/1912-15/07/1990). Ciência e Cultura 42(12)December 1990
Fan Hui Wen; Aline Solosando; Suzana Cesar Gouveia Fernandes; Marcella Faria; Nelson Ibañez; Osvaldo Augusto Sant'Anna. Memória iconográfica do Instituto Butantan. O acervo Gastão Rosenfeld. Cad. hist. ciênc. vol.2 no.1 São Paulo 2006

External links

Photo of Gastão Rosenfeld and other researchers at the 2nd Meeting of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science, 1950.
Instituto Moreira Salles. Coleção Gastão Rosenfeld.
May–Grunwald-Giemsa blood staining technique video

Bibliography

Kelen EM, Rosenfeld G, Vainzof M, & Machado ZC. Experimental defibrination and bothropase: a study on the fibrinolytic mechanism in vivo. Haemostasis. 1978;7(1):35-45.
Rosenfeld G, Hampe OG, Kelen EMA. Coagulant and fibrinolytic activity of animal venoms; determination of coagulant and fibrinolytic index of different species. Memórias do Instituto Butantan;29:143-163, 1959.
Rosenfeld G. Symptomatology, pathology, and treatment of snake bites in South America. In: Bucherl W, Buckley EE, Deulofeu V, editors. Venomous animals and their venoms. New York: Academic Press, 1971:345-841. [ Links ]
Rosenfeld G. Acidentes com animais peçonhentos. In Baruzzi GR, Siqueira R, Lacaz CS (eds) Geografia Médica do Brasil. São Paulo: Edusp, 1972, pp. 430–75. [ Links ]