George Ludwig Zuelzer
Encyclopedia
George Ludwig Zuelzer (April 10, 1870 - October 16, 1949) was a German physician who was a native of Berlin
. He practiced medicine in Berlin until 1934, when he emigrated to New York City
. His son, Wolf William Zuelzer (1909–1987) was a noted American hematologist and pediatrician.
Zülzer is remembered for his work with diabetes mellitus
. He had some success using pancreatic
extracts on diabetic
dogs, and in 1906 injected an extract called "Acomatrol" into a dying diabetic patient who was in a coma
. At first the patient showed improvement, but later suffered from side effects, and died when the Acomatrol supply was exhausted. Acomatrol was based on an extract from calf pancreases, and was manufactured by a local company in Berlin.
Afterwards, Zülzer continued to seek a suitable remedy for diabetes mellitus
, but attained little success, and his laboratory was turned over to the German military during World War I. A breakthrough occurred in the early 1920s when Canadian physicians Frederick Banting
and Charles Best developed an extract that saved the life of a 14-year-old diabetic patient.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He practiced medicine in Berlin until 1934, when he emigrated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His son, Wolf William Zuelzer (1909–1987) was a noted American hematologist and pediatrician.
Zülzer is remembered for his work with diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
. He had some success using pancreatic
Pancreas
The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist...
extracts on diabetic
Diabetes in dogs
Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the beta cells of the endocrine pancreas either stop producing insulin or can no longer produce it in enough quantity for the body's needs. The condition is commonly divided into two types, depending on the origin of the condition: Type 1 diabetes, sometimes...
dogs, and in 1906 injected an extract called "Acomatrol" into a dying diabetic patient who was in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. At first the patient showed improvement, but later suffered from side effects, and died when the Acomatrol supply was exhausted. Acomatrol was based on an extract from calf pancreases, and was manufactured by a local company in Berlin.
Afterwards, Zülzer continued to seek a suitable remedy for diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
, but attained little success, and his laboratory was turned over to the German military during World War I. A breakthrough occurred in the early 1920s when Canadian physicians Frederick Banting
Frederick Banting
Sir Frederick Grant Banting, KBE, MC, FRS, FRSC was a Canadian medical scientist, doctor and Nobel laureate noted as one of the main discoverers of insulin....
and Charles Best developed an extract that saved the life of a 14-year-old diabetic patient.