Fick

Fick (Adolf Pick; 1829-1901), outstanding German physiologist. He graduated from the University of Marburg; a student of Carl Ludwig, who in 1861 took over Ludwig's chair of physiology in Zurich. In 1868, F. moved to Würzburg, where his scientific work developed particularly fruitfully. Fick belonged to the famous group of materialist-mechanist physiologists. Already as a 19-year-old student, he published a mechanico-anatomical study in which the magnitude of the rotational potential of the hip joint muscles was demonstrated for the first time. This work has not lost its significance to the present day. In his numerous works, F. touched upon almost all areas of physiology, and he was always interested in the physical and mechanical aspects of hemodynamic phenomena, muscle contraction, vision, digestion, etc. A number of F.'s works left a deep mark on science: such were his studies of the processes occurring during muscle contraction, the heat and external work arising from it, such were his at that time sensational experiments, which proved that the energy sources in the organism are not only proteins but also fats and carbohydrates; these experiments attracted the attention of Engels ("Dialectics of Nature"). His works in the field of the nervous system, sense organs, and especially blood circulation marked new stages in the development of physiological research methodology. Most of the ingenious devices he invented, the concepts he formulated, and the names he proposed to this day are part of the arsenal of every physiologist. In his work "Medizinische Physik" (Zurich, 1856), F. presented a summary of his research; this work brought F. wide fame. In addition to the work mentioned, F. wrote many separate works, which after his death were collected and published in 4 volumes ("Gesammelte Schriften", V. I-IV, Würzburg, 1904).