Euler, << OY lur, >> Ulf Svante von (1905-1983), was a Swedish physiologist who studied the chemistry of the nervous system. He shared the 1970 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine with American scientist Julius Axelrod and Bernard Katz from the United Kingdom. All three scientists had made discoveries of the role played by certain chemicals in the transmission of nerve impulses.
With English physiologist John Gaddum (later Sir John Gaddum), Euler discovered a polypeptide (a chemical containing many amino acids) in intestinal extracts that affected nerve impulses. Euler and Gaddum called this polypeptide substance P. In 1935, Euler managed to isolate a group of hormonelike substances that he called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are believed to have a number of functions.
In the early 1940’s, Euler identified, isolated, and characterized the hormone noradrenalin (also called norepinephrine), the principal neurotransmitter (impulse carrier) of the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is a part of the nervous system that responds to the body’s needs during increased activity and in emergencies. Euler investigated noradrenalin in relation to the function of the kidneys, physiological shock, and stress. He also investigated questions regarding its uptake, storage, and release. Euler was also recognized for his work connected with the medical conditions arteriosclerosis and hypertension, commonly called hardening of the arteries and high blood pressure.
Euler was born in Stockholm on Feb. 7, 1905. He studied medicine at the Karolinska Institute. From 1939 to 1971, he was professor of physiology at the Karolinska Institute. He also served as a member of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine and, from 1966 to 1975, was president of the Nobel Foundation. He died on March 10, 1983.
