Paul Gyorgy

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Paul György
Philadelphia General Hospital
(1957-1953)

Paul György (April 7, 1893 – March 1, 1976) was a Hungarian-born American

pediatrician best known for his discovery of three B vitamins: riboflavin, B6, and biotin.[1][2][3] Gyorgy was also well known for his research into the protective factors of human breast milk, particularly for his discoveries of Lactobacillus bifidus growth factor activity in human milk and its anti-staphylococcal properties.[1][3] He was a recipient of the National Medal of Science in 1975 from President Gerald Ford.[4]

Early life and career

Gyorgy was born on April 7, 1893, in Nagyvárad, Hungary to a Jewish family. He was said to be an avid reader and musician as a child.[1] His father was a general practitioner in the community. Influenced by his father's occupation and with his parents' encouragement, Gyorgy began to pursue a career in medicine. He attended the University of Budapest Medical School and graduated with Doctor of Medicine degree in 1915.[1]

In 1920, after the end of

University of Heidelberg that Gyorgy first discovered and isolated riboflavin along with his colleague Th. Wagner-Jauregg and the Nobel-winning chemist Richard Kuhn.[1] Gyorgy remained at the University of Heidelberg until 1933, when the political unrest in Germany spurred his move to the Nutrition Laboratory at the University of Cambridge in England. He stayed as a researcher in there until 1935, during which time he discovered vitamin B6.[3]

In 1935, Gyorgy went to the

University Hospitals of Cleveland system. He isolated biotin in 1940 while at Case Western Reserve University.[3]

In 1944, Gyorgy moved to the

Philadelphia General Hospital from 1957 to 1963.[3]

Scientific research

Gyorgy was responsible for the discovery of three B vitamins, work he conducted with others during his time at Heidelberg, Cambridge, and Cleveland. Later in his career, Gyorgy investigated the protective factors found in human breast milk at the University of Pennsylvania.

Discovery of riboflavin

By 1927 a series of experiments, performed in part by

University of Heidelberg, had noticed that rats kept on a B2-free diet were unable to gain weight. Isolation of concentrated B2 from yeast revealed the presence of a bright yellow-green fluorescent product that when fed to the rat, restored normal growth. The amount of growth restored was directly proportional to the intensity of the fluorescent product. The bright yellow substance had been previously found in milk by scientists Warburg and Christian, who had described the it as 'yellow oxidation ferment' but were unable to discover its function. Gyorgy, Kuhn, and Warner-Jauregg suggested the name 'flavin' for their yellow pigments and proposed that they were likely the same as the yellow pigments seen by Warberg and Christian.[7]

By 1933, the Heidelberg team were the first to isolate crystalline flavin from milk and accordingly, termed the substance lactoflavin. They, along with other teams, went on to isolate similar flavins from many other sources such as egg white (ovoflavin) and liver (heptoflavin). All these compounds were found to be chemically identical and in 1937, the name riboflavin was formally adopted by the Council of Pharmacy and Chemistry of the American Medical Association.[5]

Discovery of B6

During his experiments with riboflavin, Gyorgy noticed that rats already on a thiamine-only diet developed pellagra-like symptoms, even when given pure riboflavin. The symptoms were only relieved when rats were given supplements derived from a flavin-free extract of bakers' yeast. In contrast, rats given this extract but no riboflavin failed to exhibit pellagra-like symptoms but were unable to gain weight until riboflavin was added back into the diet. These results confirmed the presence of an 'anti-pellagra' factor that was biologically distinct from the newly discovered riboflavin.[8]

In 1934, Gyorgy named this new anti-pellagra factor

wheat germ.[9][10]

Discovery of biotin

By 1927, scientists such as Margarete Boas and Helen Parsons had performed experiments demonstrating the symptoms associated with egg-white injury.[11][12] They had found that rats fed large amounts of egg-white as their only protein source exhibited neurological dysfunction, dermatitis, and eventually, death. Gyorgy began investigating the factor responsible for egg-white injury in 1933 and in 1939, was successful identifying what he called vitamin H.[13][14] Further chemical characterization of vitamin H revealed that it was water-soluble and present in high amounts in the liver.[15][16] By this time, multiple groups had independently isolated the same compound under different names. In 1936, Kögl and Tönnis had isolated what they called biotin from egg yolk and in 1939, West had isolated what he called co-enzyme R.[17] By 1940, it was recognized that all three compounds were identical and were collectively given the name biotin.[18] Gyorgy continued his work on biotin and in 1941 published a paper demonstrating that egg-white injury was caused by the binding of biotin by avidin.[19][20]

Protective factors in breast milk

In 1950, Gyorgy began investigating the microbial properties in human breast milk. He began by comparing the intestinal flora of normal breast-fed infants to those who were fed cow's milk formulas.[21] He found that the breast-fed infants had a prevalence of a certain variant of Lactobacillus bifidus, a bacterium considered to be an essential part of normal human gut flora. Further testing revealed the presence of factors in human breast milk that acted as essential growth promoting factors to the L. bifidus variant.[22][23]

In 1962, Gyorgy also discovered anti-staphylococcus properties of human breast milk. He injected mice with different doses of virulent Staphylococcus aureus and found that those given human breast milk obtained protection from infection, resulting in a higher survival rate than those that were given only cow's milk.[24]

Personal life

Gyorgy married Margaret John on October 23, 1920, in

organic chemist, Michael, who became a physicist, and Tilbert, a surgeon. Gyorgy enjoyed classical music and was also an avid painter and gardener.[3]

Awards and honors

Gyorgy received the 1975 National Medal of Science from President Gerald Ford for his "discovery of three vitamins and related research that have greatly improved human nutrition".[4] Gyorgy had already died by the time of the 1976 award ceremony and his medal was accepted by his wife, Margaret John.[1] Other awards included:[1][3]

Later years and death

Gyorgy's later life revolved around his work in

Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, New Jersey, at the age of 82.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation. "Paul György". ISRHML. Archived from the original on 2017-12-19. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  2. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2017-11-09.
  3. ^
    PMID 372504
    .
  4. ^ a b "The President's National Medal of Science: Recipient Details | NSF - National Science Foundation". www.nsf.gov.
  5. ^
    S2CID 7331172
    .
  6. PMID 16745720
    .
  7. PMID 29012685
    .
  8. PMID 16747297
    .
  9. PMID 16746020
    .
  10. doi:10.1021/ja01271a505
    .
  11. PMID 16743887
    .
  12. S2CID 86107167
    .
  13. ISSN 0021-9258
    .
  14. ISSN 0021-9258
    .
  15. ISSN 0021-9258
    .
  16. ISSN 0021-9258
    .
  17. S2CID 30138816
    .
  18. PMID 17795447
    .
  19. PMID 17757050
    .
  20. S2CID 84419614
    .
  21. PMID 13125589
    .
  22. PMID 13125592
    .
  23. PMID 14381364
    .
  24. S2CID 11118555
    .
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