Paul langerhans biography

Paul Langerhans (1847 – 1888) – whose face is depicted in the logo of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) – is the discoverer (1869) of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, which were later named after him.

These cell clusters are also referred to as Langerhans islets or islet cells and often collectively as islet organ. Since among other functions these cells produce and secrete insulin, they are of great importance for diabetes research.

Paul Langerhans was born on July 25, 1847 in Berlin as son of the physician Paul Langerhans (1820 – 1909) and his wife Anna, born Keibel.

Paul langerhans biography wikipedia

He graduated first in his class from school (Abitur 1865) and demonstrated a special interest in science. In 1867, as a student in Berlin, he began his studies on the pancreas under the supervision of Rudolf Virchow.

Microscopic anatomy of the pancreas
Virchow suspected “that this gland, too, not only secreted outwardly but also inwardly into the blood”, i.e.

that it was endocrine-act