Loewi, Otto

Loewi, Otto lōˈē [key], 1873–1961, American physiologist and pharmacologist, b. Frankfurt, Germany. He was professor of pharmacology (1909–38) at the Univ. of Graz, Austria, until forced into exile after the Nazi purge of professors; from 1940 he was professor of pharmacology at the college of medicine of New York Univ. For his discovery of the chemical transmission of nerve impulses he shared the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Sir Henry Dale. Loewi investigated the physiology and pharmacology of metabolism, the kidneys, the heart, and the nervous system. In 1954 he was made a member of the Royal Society of London.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Medicine: Biographies