Origins & Early Life

Emil Heinrich du Bois-Reymond (7 November 1818 – 26 December 1896) was a German physiologist, the co-discoverer of nerve action potential, and the developer of experimental electrophysiology. His lectures on science and culture earned him great esteem during the latter half of the 19th century. Du Bois-Reymond was born in Berlin and spent his life there. His father was a poor immigrant from Neuchâtel, and his mother was a Berliner of prominent Huguenot origin.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Emil had two sisters and two brothers, of whom one, Paul (2 December 1831 – 7 April 1889), became a distinguished mathematician. Educated first at the French College in Berlin, du Bois-Reymond enrolled in the University of Berlin in 1838. He seems to have been uncertain at first as to the topic of his studies, for he was a student of the renowned ecclesiastical historian August Neander, and dallied with Naturphilosophie, geology, and physics, but eventually began to study medicine with such zeal and success as to attract the notice of Johannes Peter Müller (1801–1858), a well-known professor of anatomy and physiology. Müller's earlier studies had been distinctly physiological, but his preferences caused him later to...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Elizabeth F. Ellet — Contemporary (Born in 1818) (1818): American writer, poet, and historian, celebrated for chronicling women's roles in the American Revolution.
• Emily Brontë — Contemporary (Born in 1818) (1818): English novelist celebrated for Wuthering Heights, a work of passionate literature.
• A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada — Contemporary (Born in 1896) (1896): Pioneering global spread of Krishna consciousness teachings and the Hare Krishna mantra.
• Alfred Nobel — Contemporary (Died in 1896) (1896): Pioneering chemist, inventor of dynamite, and founder of the Nobel Prizes.
• Anton Bruckner — Contemporary (Died in 1896) (1896): Master of Austro-German Romanticism, renowned for monumental symphonies and sacred works.
• Albert Camus — Shared historical date (11-07 · Born) (1913): Philosopher and writer known for Absurdism, The Stranger, and The Plague.
• Alexander Dubček — Shared historical date (11-07 · Died) (1992): Slovak statesman known for leading the Prague Spring and advocating 'Socialism with a human face'.
• Alejo Carpentier — Shared historical date (12-26 · Born) (1904): Influential Cuban novelist, essayist, and musicologist of the Latin American Boom.
• Arthur Percival — Shared historical date (12-26 · Born) (1887): British Army officer, known for commanding forces during the Malayan Campaign and the fall of Singapore.
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