The Discovery of Chemical Neurotransmitters

by: Elliot S Valenstein

Brain and Cognition, Vol. 49, No. 1. (June 2002), pp. 73-95.

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Neurotransmitters have become such an intrinsic part of our theories about brain function that many today are unaware of how difficult it was to prove their existence or the protracted dispute over the nature of synaptic transmission. The story is important not only because it is fascinating science history, but also because it exemplifies much of what is best in science and deserving to be emulated. The friendships formed among such major figures in this history as Henry Dale, Otto Loewi, Wilhelm Feldberg, Walter Cannon, and others extended over two world wars, enriching their lives and facilitating their research. Even the dispute--the "war of the sparks and the soups"--between neurophysiologists and pharmacologists over whether synaptic transmission is electrical or chemical played a positive role in stimulating the research needed to provide convincing proof.

@article{citeulike:2789236, abstract = {Neurotransmitters have become such an intrinsic part of our theories about brain function that many today are unaware of how difficult it was to prove their existence or the protracted dispute over the nature of synaptic transmission. The story is important not only because it is fascinating science history, but also because it exemplifies much of what is best in science and deserving to be emulated. The friendships formed among such major figures in this history as Henry Dale, Otto Loewi, Wilhelm Feldberg, Walter Cannon, and others extended over two world wars, enriching their lives and facilitating their research. Even the dispute--the "war of the sparks and the soups"--between neurophysiologists and pharmacologists over whether synaptic transmission is electrical or chemical played a positive role in stimulating the research needed to provide convincing proof.}, author = {Valenstein, Elliot S. }, citeulike-article-id = {2789236}, doi = {10.1006/brcg.2001.1487}, journal = {Brain and Cognition}, keywords = {history-of-science, philosophy-of-science, sparks-vs-soups}, month = {June}, number = {1}, pages = {73--95}, posted-at = {2008-05-12 12:17:41}, priority = {0}, title = {The Discovery of Chemical Neurotransmitters}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/brcg.2001.1487}, volume = {49}, year = {2002} }

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TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2789236 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2789236 TI - The Discovery of Chemical Neurotransmitters JF - Brain and Cognition VL - 49 IS - 1 SP - 73 EP - 95 N2 - Neurotransmitters have become such an intrinsic part of our theories about brain function that many today are unaware of how difficult it was to prove their existence or the protracted dispute over the nature of synaptic transmission. The story is important not only because it is fascinating science history, but also because it exemplifies much of what is best in science and deserving to be emulated. The friendships formed among such major figures in this history as Henry Dale, Otto Loewi, Wilhelm Feldberg, Walter Cannon, and others extended over two world wars, enriching their lives and facilitating their research. Even the dispute--the "war of the sparks and the soups"--between neurophysiologists and pharmacologists over whether synaptic transmission is electrical or chemical played a positive role in stimulating the research needed to provide convincing proof. KW - history-of-science KW - philosophy-of-science KW - sparks-vs-soups AU - Valenstein, Elliot PY - 2002/06// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/brcg.2001.1487 ER -

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