Salome Gluecksohn-Waelsch
Encyclopedia
Salome Gluecksohn-Waelsch (October 6, 1907, Gdańsk
– November 7, 2007, New York
) was a German
-born U.S.
geneticist
and co-founder of developmental genetics.
and zoology
in Königsberg
and Berlin
before she joined Spemann
's laboratory at the University of Freiburg
in 1928. In 1932 she received her doctorate
for her work on the embryological limb development of Triton
. In the same year she married the biochemist Rudolph Schönheimer, with whom she escaped from Nazi Germany
in 1933.
She went on to become a lecturer at Columbia University
in 1936, bringing embryological acumen to Leslie Dunn's genetics laboratory. Salome, along with Conrad Hal Waddington
, attempted to find mutation
s that affected early development and discover the processes that these genes affected. Her research showed that mutations in the Brachyury gene
of the mouse caused the aberrant development of the posterior portion of the embryo
and she traced the effects of this mutant gene to the otochord, which would normally have helped induce the dorsal-ventral axis. As Salome combined the embryological expertise she had acquired at Spemann´s lab with methods of classical mouse genetics, she is considered the founder of mammal
ian developmental genetics.
In 1938, she acquired US citizenship, and after Schönheimer´s death in 1941 she married the neurochemist Heinrich Waelsch.
She left Columbia University in 1953 to commence a professorship in anatomy
at the newly founded Albert Einstein College of Medicine
(AECOM), where she held the chair of molecular genetics from 1963 to 1976. Emeritus
status was conferred on her in 1978, but she kept on researching actively for many more years, publishing and participating in scientific conferences until the 1990s.
Salome Gluecksohn-Waelsch´s scientific work was honoured late in life. In 1979, she became a member of the National Academy of Sciences
, in 1982 the University of Freiburg honoured her with the "Goldene Promotion" and in 1993 the president at that time, Bill Clinton
, presented her with the National Medal of Science
. She became an overseas member of the Royal Society
in 1995 and was awarded the Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal
in 1999.
She died a month after her 100th birthday.
In 2010, the Freiburg-based Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM) and the AECOM Department of Genetics introduced the Salome-Gluecksohn Waelsch Prize for the best dissertation.
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
– November 7, 2007, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
geneticist
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
and co-founder of developmental genetics.
Life and scientific career
Salome Gluecksohn-Waelsch studied chemistryChemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
in Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
and Berlin
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...
before she joined Spemann
Hans Spemann
Hans Spemann was a German embryologist who was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1935 for his discovery of the effect now known as embryonic induction, an influence, exercised by various parts of the embryo, that directs the development of groups of cells into particular tissues...
's laboratory at the University of Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
in 1928. In 1932 she received her doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
for her work on the embryological limb development of Triton
Triton
-Science:* Triton * Triton * Triton , the nucleus of tritium, an isotope of hydrogen-Technology:* Triton X-100, a wetting agent* Triton, a line of GPS receivers manufactured by Magellan Navigation...
. In the same year she married the biochemist Rudolph Schönheimer, with whom she escaped from Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in 1933.
She went on to become a lecturer at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1936, bringing embryological acumen to Leslie Dunn's genetics laboratory. Salome, along with Conrad Hal Waddington
Conrad Hal Waddington
Conrad Hal Waddington CBE FRS FRSE was a developmental biologist, paleontologist, geneticist, embryologist and philosopher who laid the foundations for systems biology...
, attempted to find mutation
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
s that affected early development and discover the processes that these genes affected. Her research showed that mutations in the Brachyury gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
of the mouse caused the aberrant development of the posterior portion of the embryo
Embryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
and she traced the effects of this mutant gene to the otochord, which would normally have helped induce the dorsal-ventral axis. As Salome combined the embryological expertise she had acquired at Spemann´s lab with methods of classical mouse genetics, she is considered the founder of mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
ian developmental genetics.
In 1938, she acquired US citizenship, and after Schönheimer´s death in 1941 she married the neurochemist Heinrich Waelsch.
She left Columbia University in 1953 to commence a professorship in anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
at the newly founded Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a graduate school of Yeshiva University. It is a not-for-profit, private, nonsectarian medical school located on the Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus in the Morris Park neighborhood of the borough of the Bronx of New York City...
(AECOM), where she held the chair of molecular genetics from 1963 to 1976. Emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
status was conferred on her in 1978, but she kept on researching actively for many more years, publishing and participating in scientific conferences until the 1990s.
Salome Gluecksohn-Waelsch´s scientific work was honoured late in life. In 1979, she became a member of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences commonly refers to the academy in the United States of America.National Academy of Sciences may also refer to :* National Academy of Sciences of Argentina* Armenian National Academy of Sciences...
, in 1982 the University of Freiburg honoured her with the "Goldene Promotion" and in 1993 the president at that time, Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, presented her with the National Medal of Science
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
. She became an overseas member of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1995 and was awarded the Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal
Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal
The Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal is a medal awarded for lifetime contributions to the field of genetics. The medal is awarded by the Genetics Society of America.-Award recipients:* 1981 Barbara McClintock and Marcus M. Rhoades* 1982 Sewall Wright...
in 1999.
She died a month after her 100th birthday.
In 2010, the Freiburg-based Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM) and the AECOM Department of Genetics introduced the Salome-Gluecksohn Waelsch Prize for the best dissertation.
External links
- Scott F. Gilbert, Biography of Salome Gluecksohn-Waelsch, Jewish Women Encyclopedia
- Life, work and photo
- http://www.columbia.edu/cu/record/archives/vol20/vol20_iss30/record2030.25.htmlCitation for honorary DSc from Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
] - http://www.sciam.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=58AD0DA4-F12F-B68C-02506A9B55CA95B6On The Shoulders of Giants: John Wheeler and Salome Waelsch obituary podcastPodcastA podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
transcript from Scientific AmericanScientific AmericanScientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
website]