Dale, Sir Henry Hallett (1875-1968), an English physiologist and pharmacologist (researcher into drugs), made important discoveries relating to chemical transmission of nerve impulses. In 1904, Dale discovered by chance that an extract of a fungus called ergot reversed the effects of the hormone adrenalin (which increases the strength and rate of the heartbeat and raises the blood pressure). He also found that ergot contained many other pharmacological compounds, including histamine and acetylcholine. Dale proved that acetylcholine occurs naturally in animals and helps to transmit nerve impulses across synapses, the points where two nerve cells meet. His study of histamine, a substance released into the body in allergic reactions, led Dale to research anaphylaxis, a condition in which a normally nontoxic protein becomes increasingly harmful upon exposure for a second time (see Allergy ). In 1936, Dale was awarded the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine, and shared the prize with Otto Loewi of Austria (see Loewi, Otto ).
Dale wrote two books, Adventures in Physiology (1953) and An Autumn Gleaning (1954), in addition to many articles. During World War II (1939-1945), he served on the Scientific Advisory Committee to the War Cabinet. He also researched endocrinology, the study of the endocrine glands (see Gland (Endocrine glands) ).
Henry Hallett Dale was born in London. He studied natural sciences at Cambridge University, England. He received his M.D. there in 1909. In 1914, he became director of the department of biochemistry and pharmacology at the National Institute for Medical Research, London. In 1932, he was knighted and, in 1944, he was awarded the Order of Merit, the highest civilian award in the United Kingdom.
