Johann Ludwig Wilhelm Thudichum (August 27, 1829 – September 7, 1901) was a German physician and biochemist

Biochemist

Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...

 who was a native of Büdingen. He studied medicine in Giessen, where he also worked in the laboratory of chemist

Chemist

A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...

 Justus von Liebig

Justus von Liebig

Justus von Liebig was a German chemist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and worked on the organization of organic chemistry. As a professor, he devised the modern laboratory-oriented teaching method, and for such innovations, he is regarded as one of the...

 (1803-1873). In 1853 he moved to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, where he worked for the remainder of his career.

Thudichum was a pioneer in the field of neurochemistry

Neurochemistry

Neurochemistry is the specific study of neurochemicals, which include neurotransmitters and other molecules such as neuro-active drugs that influence neuron function. This principle closely examines the manner in which these neurochemicals influence the network of neural operation...

, and a founder of "brain chemistry". He performed chemical analyses of over one thousand human and animal brains, and specialized in pathological

Pathology

Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....

 chemistry. He is credited with the identification and characterization of numerous compounds of the brain

Brain

The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...

, including cephalin, sphingomyelin

Sphingomyelin

Sphingomyelin is a type of sphingolipid found in animal cell membranes, especially in the membranous myelin sheath that surrounds some nerve cell axons. It usually consists of phosphorylcholine and ceramide...

, galactose

Galactose

Galactose , sometimes abbreviated Gal, is a type of sugar that is less sweet than glucose. It is a C-4 epimer of glucose....

, lactic acid

Lactic acid

Lactic acid, also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in various biochemical processes and was first isolated in 1780 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Lactic acid is a carboxylic acid with the chemical formula C3H6O3...

 and sphingosine

Sphingosine

Sphingosine is an 18-carbon amino alcohol with an unsaturated hydrocarbon chain, which forms a primary part of sphingolipids, a class of cell membrane lipids that include sphingomyelin, an important phospholipid.-Functions:...

. In 1884 he described his research in a publication titled "A Treatise on the Chemical Constitution of the Brain", which was widely criticized and rejected at the time by many in the scientific community. After his death, the discoveries from Thudichum's research have been realized as important scientific contributions to the study of the chemical and molecular composition of the brain.

Thudichum published over eighty works, including books on non-medical topics such as viticulture

Viticulture

Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...

 and cookery. He also devised a specialized nasal speculum

Speculum (medical)

A speculum is a medical tool for investigating body cavities, with a form dependent on the body cavity for which it is designed. In old texts, the speculum may also be referred to as a diopter or dioptra...

 that is still in use by physicians today. Since 1974 the "Thudichum Medal Lecture" is awarded in England for outstanding achievements in the field of neurochemistry, and at Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

, the "Thudichum Post–Doctoral Research Fellowship in Neuro-oncology

Oncology

Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...

" is granted for the research of brain tumor

Brain tumor

A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...

s.

Selected writings

• A treatise on the pathology of urine, London, John Churchill, 1858
• A treatise on the origin, nature, and varieties of wine; being a complete manual of viticulture and oenology, London, New York, Macmillian, 1872
• A treatise on the chemical constitution of the brain, London, Bailliere, Tindall and Cox, 1884
• The progress of medical chemistry. comprising its application to: physiology, pathology and the practice of medicine, London, Bailliere, Tindall and Cox., 1896