Vincent Du Vigneaud
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Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/112/8/1463/4755279 by guest on 30 September 2021 Vincent du Vigneaud 1901-1978 This One l NC52-LXL-3DFS Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/112/8/1463/4755279 by guest on 30 September 2021 v X VINCENT DUVIGNEAUD Vincent du Vigneaud (1901-1978) A Biographical Sketch FRANKLIN C. BING Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/112/8/1463/4755279 by guest on 30 September 2021 2651 Hurd Avenue Evanston, Illinois 60201 Vincent du Vigneaud was an organic important contributions by others. These he chemist whose scientific work focused on the fitted into his own work, so that everything study of the organic compounds of sulfur and done during his lifetime that involved studies their biochemical significance. As Joseph of the nature and biological significance of Fruton has stated, his "life in science was sulfur-containing compounds became, in a marked by a singleness of purpose and re sense, his own. markable continuity in its development."(1) Du Vigneaud became a member of the Early life American Institute of Nutrition in 1934, being nominated by Harold N. Pierce and Du Vigneaud was born in Chicago, Illinois John R. Murlin, and he remained a dues-pay on 18 May 1901. Because of an interview ing member during his active career. The with R. A. Plane, published in the Journal of Chemical Education in 1976 (3), we know Institute conferred on him its Mead Johnson more about du Vigneaud's early career than award in 1943 for his contributions to our knowledge of biotin and its Osborne and we do of many other distinguished scientists. Mendel award in 1953 for his contributions He attended Carl Schurz High School at on "chemical structure, metabolic interrela Milwaukee Avenue and Addison Street on tions, and nutritional significance of certain the northwest side of the city. This was then essential dietary constituents," which refers an area characterized by many vacant lots, to sulfur-containing or related compounds. occasional little ponds with cattails growing at their edges, and open fields, which boys For his work on oxytocin and vasopressin, called "prairies" and which abounded in hormones produced by the posterior pitui tary gland, as well as his other studies of bi small wildlife. With two of his school friends ologically important compounds, du Vig he collected insects and engaged in other neaud was awarded the Nobel prize in activities of bright, lively young lads. One of Chemistry for 1955. He had many graduate his friends had a little laboratory in the base students, postdoctoral fellows and visiting sci ment of his home and, with chemicals ob entists who came to work with him, and he tained from a friendly druggist, they per and his pupils contributed 480 research pa formed many experiments even before they pers to the scientific literature, each paper had a course in chemistry at the high school. being characterized by its clarity of expres Du Vigneaud, in commenting on those early sion as well as its scientific merit. Amazingly, experiments, smilingly said that many of as brought out in his book, A Trail of Re them involved the use of sulfur, which of search in Sulfur Chemistry and Metabolism course is an important ingredient of gunpow- and Related Fields, published in 1952 (2), all his research may be regarded as one con ©1982 American Institute of Nutrition. Received for publication 3 May tinuing story, punctuated here and there by 1982. 1465 1466 VINCENT DUVIGNEAUD der. During his senior year in high school, his sister. His most remunerative job, he re 1917-1918, World War I was in progress, and called, was that of headwaiter, in doing there was a need for young men to help out which he learned that the best way of settling with farm work. The federal government in disputes between waiters and kitchen helpers stituted a work program for boys 16 and 17 was to bring the two sides together, let them years old, which du Vigneaud joined. He left talk and get to know each other, and thus school in April, 1918 and was placed with a settle their differences more amicably. He farmer in Boone County, Illinois, not far also taught for a short time, as a second lieu from the Wisconsin line. In June, he returned tenant in the U.S. Cavalry Reserves, a course Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/112/8/1463/4755279 by guest on 30 September 2021 home for a day to receive his high school on horsemanship and cavalry tactics; this was diploma and then went back to his farm his first teaching experience. The best thing chores, which included hand-milking 20 he did as an undergraduate, he said, was to dairy cows. He developed a liking for farm become acquainted with a young woman stu work and thought about studying agricul dent who was majoring in English. She had ture. But his elder sister, Beatrice, visited him gone to Southern Illinois Normal School at during the summer and encouraged him to Carbondale and then came to the university apply to the University of Illinois, where he for further training. Her name was Zella Zon could study chemistry. With the money he Ford. With an eye to the future, as du Vig had saved from five months of farm work neaud said more than fifty years after the and loans and gifts from his sister, he went event, he persuaded her to take courses in to Champaign-Urbana in the fall. At first he mathematics and chemistry. After their mar enrolled in Chemical Engineering, but dur riage in 1924, Zella was able to teach chem ing his first year he became fascinated by the istry during the early years of their long life work that he observed older students doing together. in organic chemistry under the supervision Du Vigneaud was eager to learn more of Professor Carl S. Marvel. He changed his chemistry after graduation in 1923, and a course to pure Chemistry. Du Vigneaud was year later he received the M.S. degree after able to take a course in physiological chem further work with Marvel. After failing to istry with Howard B. Lewis in early 1921. secure a job with a pharmaceutical company, Lewis was known as an enthusiastic lecturer, he accepted a position in the analytical lab and du Vigneaud stated that Lewis instilled oratories of the Du Pont company near Wil in him his own lifelong interest in sulfur com mington, Delaware. It was in this city that pounds of biological significance. When Lewis he and Zella were married in June, 1924. went to the University of Michigan later in Through correspondence, du Vigneaud 1921, he was replaced by W. C. Rose, also had maintained his friendship with his teach noted as an inspiring teacher. As an under ers at Illinois, and they told him of an open graduate in the remarkable department that ing in clinical chemistry, which they thought Marvel and Roger Adams had built up at might interest him. The position was in the Illinois, du Vigneaud was able to take two laboratories of the Philadelphia General Hos courses with Rose, one on intermediary me pital, affiliated with the University of Penn tabolism and the other on clinical chemistry. sylvania, where du Vigneaud worked from Du Vigneaud told Plane, his interviewer, early fall of 1924 until the following fall. about his being thrilled at Rose's account of Again, through the professors who knew him the then recent report by Banting and Best at Illinois, he was brought to the attention of of the discovery of insulin and his own pon John R. Murlin, who was looking for an as dering over the nature of the hormone that sistant to work on the chemistry of insulin had such remarkable properties. Du Vig- in his department at the University of Roch neaud's senior undergraduate research prob ester. Murlin hired the young man, and in lem was with Marvel in the general field of troduced him to the professor of chemistry chemical structure and biological properties. at Rochester and Hans T. Clarke, then a To meet his expenses, du Vigneaud had chemist at the Eastman Kodak Company and to work at a number of part-time jobs while later, Professor of Biochemistry at Columbia in college. He also obtained some help from University. Du Vigneaud not only be- VINCENT DUV1GNEAUD 1467 Du Vigneaud's fellowship was renewed for came a friend but also maintained his re lationships with these men, discussed chem another year, and he spent the time in Eu ical problems with them, and was helped by rope: with Max Bergmann at the Kaiser Clarke on many occasions throughout his ca Wilhelm Institut at Dresden, with George reer. Barger at Edinburgh and, for a short time, The research problem du Vigneaud was with Charles Harington in London. While in assigned by Murlin was on the frontier of Edinburgh, according to du Vigneaud's in chemical knowledge at the time. In 1925, terview with Plane, he became concerned John J. Abel of Johns Hopkins University suc about his future and wrote to friends back ceeded in obtaining insulin in crystalline home. Within two weeks he received offers Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/112/8/1463/4755279 by guest on 30 September 2021 form, and early in the following year he pub of positions in Philadelphia, Rochester, New lished a short paper about his work and his York and the University of Illinois. He and belief that his compound was a protein.