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296 fermentation of sugar. His mother, Astrld Cleve, daughter of the notable chemist P. T. Cleve, was a scientist in her own right, known for her studic~ tff f~ssil Diatomaceae. His godththeT was Svantc U. S. von Euler Arrhenius. Speaking of the scientific atmosphere at (1905-1983) his home and the regular opportunities for meeting scientists, von Euler stated that this Ulf von Euler, who was Professor of and testing substances from body fluids and "no doubt had a great part in my growing Physiology at the Karolinska Institute from tissues was sustained throughout his life. interest in research'. To his own work his 1939 to 1972, died in March this year at the The work suited his gifts - with their basic attitude was objective and he readily ack- age of 78 years. After his major discovery elements of technical skill, great care,' nowledged the contributions to his own in 1946 that consisted of the isolation and perseverance and industry - beyond ordi- field of interest by forerunners and content- identification of noradrenaline in sympathe- nary measures. He was richly rewarded poraries. His matter-of-fact attitude and tic ganglia and nerve fibres, he achieved an (see Bengt Pemow's contribution to this courteous manner contained elements of international reputation as a pioneer in issue of TINS). guarded prudence, producing a barrier catecholamine physiology. Von Euler's life seemed from the begin- which had to be penetrated by those who In 1921 Otto Loewi had found adrenaline ning to be destined for a scientific career. were his co-workers or just his friends. This to be the transmitter in the sympathetic His father was the biochemist Hans von done, the reward consisted in finding a man supply to the frog heart, but after von Euler, originally invited to Sweden as assis- with an essentially benevolent humour Euler's discovery it gradually became evi- tant to Professor Svante Arrhenius. Later spiced with a tinge of mild sarcasm. his father became a professor at Stockholm dent that its methylated homologue, norad- RA(INAR GRANIT renaline, served the equivalent function in University and co-recipient, with Arthur mammals and in other sympathetic systems Hardy, of the 1929 Nobel Prize in Chemis- ]the Nobel Institute _for Neurophysiology, Karo- as well. However. the frog heart, though an try for work on the enzymes active in the linska Institute. Stockholm OtZ '~weden excepuon, had established a rule. By this work yon Euler acquired a ger- minal role in the rapidly expanding field of catecholamine physiology to which he him- self continued to add leading contributions. UIf S. von Euler's contributions to Study of the distribution of noradrenaline in science nerves and other structures, and its excre- tion under various conditions occupied his Ulf S. von Euler devoted his life to the research started in 1930. when he worked laboratory for several years. study of biologically active, naturally with a Rockefeller stipend at the National Subsequent development in this field occurring substances that were attracting a Institute of Medical Research in Hampstead was greatly facilitated by Falck and growing interest in the 1920s. when he under the guidance of its director, H. H Hillarp's 1959 fluorescence method of started his scientific career. The establish- Dale. Von Euler devoted himself to the demonstrating noradrenaline in differenl ment of acetylcholine as a chemical trans- study of the distribution of acetylcholine in tissues. P. Holtz in Germany had in 1944 mitter and the discovery of biogenic the intestinal tract. Although Dale had opened a clinically important approach by amines, constituting an important group m already shown that atropine did not block discovering noradrenaline excretion in "autopharmacology', were early milestones the increase in motility induced by vagal urine; Marthe Vogt opened another avenue in the field. stimulation, acetyleholine was considered in 1954 by finding sites of noradrenaline in Von Euler's own contributions to this as the 'motility hormone'. Von Euter the brain. Von Euler. in his Nobel Lecture. found, together with J. H. Gaddum. that said that his collaboration with Hillarp gave extracts of the gut were able to stimulate a new direction to his research. A highly isolated rabbit jejunum even in the presence significant new discovery was that nor- of atropine. The factor responsible for this adrenaline ~s stored in granules along the non-eholinergic contraction of smooth sympathetic nerves. These could be visual° muscle was found to be a biologically ized by using the fluorescence technique. active principle that was distinctly separate Though young when appointed to the not only from acetytcholine but also from Chair of Physiology in Stockholm. von histamine and adenine nucleotides% Later, Euler was well prepared for the task. His von Euler suggested that the new com- years of learning had been spent m several pound, provisionally named substance P. European laboratories headed by leading might be a protein'. physiologists of the day: Dale, de Burgh Substance P became the first in a long Daly, Embden, Heydaans and A. V. Hill. A and steadily increasing series of neuropep- decisive influence was the period at Mill tides. Today it is the best characterized of Hill under Sir Henry Dale where yon Euler this group of peptides as far as distribution, and Gaddum isolated the substance that was release and biological properties are con- named prostaglandin. To Sir Henry, von cemed. Euler dedicated his monograph on norad- After his return to the Karolinska Insti- renaline. tute in 1931, von Euler continued his sys- Von Euler's specific interest in isolating UIf wm Euler tematic analysis of the distribution of sub- 1~,~3. Elsevier Science Publishers Bb . Amsterdam tl37~ - 5012/83/$1H.(~t .

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