Definition

Proper noun A German-born American pharmacologist, Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine (1936). He is renowned for providing the first proof of chemical neurotransmission by demonstrating that a substance (later identified as acetylcholine) is released upon nerve stimulation to act on a target organ.

Usage

This term is used exclusively as a proper noun to refer to the historical scientific figure. * Otto Loewi is famous for his crucial experiment on frog hearts. * The discovery of chemical neurotransmission is credited to Otto Loewi and Sir Henry Dale. * In his autobiography, Otto Loewi described the dream that inspired his Nobel Prize-winning experiment.

Advanced Usage

• The Loewi Experiment: Refers specifically to his 1921 experiment where fluid from a stimulated donor frog heart was shown to slow the beat of an unstimulated recipient heart, proving chemical transmission.
• Loewi's Phenomenon: An alternative name for the observation from his famous experiment.

Variants and Related Words

• Loewi, O.: A common academic abbreviation.
• Vagusstoff: The German term ("vagus substance") Loewi used for the unidentified chemical released by the vagus nerve, later identified as acetylcholine.

Synonyms

• (There are no true synonyms for a person's name. In context, he can be described as:)
  • The pioneer of chemical neurotransmission.
  • The Nobel laureate (1936) in Physiology or Medicine.

Related Phrases

• Chemical synapse: The type of nerve junction whose existence Loewi proved.
• Neurotransmitter: The class of chemicals whose discovery he pioneered.
• Acetylcholine: The specific neurotransmitter whose release he demonstrated.

Noun

1. United States pharmacologist (born in Germany) who was the first to show that acetylcholine is produced at the junction between a parasympathetic nerve and a muscle (1873-1961)