Casimir Funk, a Polish-American biologist, was Google Doodled in honor of his 140th birthday this Friday.
According to the description, Casimir Funk was among the first to recognize and propose the concept of vitamins and other essential elements required to sustain human health.
Casimir Funk relocated to Switzerland to pursue his studies in biology and chemistry after graduating from high school. “He started working at different research institutions across Europe at the age of 20 after receiving his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Bern,” according to his own website.
Funk developed an interest in the links between food ingredients and a variety of illnesses, such as rickets, pellagra, cancer, and scurvy. Funk (1911) developed thiamine (B1) through his research into tiny, palatable crystals that supported the development and operation of many cell types.
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He named his invention vitamines, drawing inspiration from the Latin words viva, which means “life,” and amine, which denotes a chemical molecule containing an amino group. The term was later shortened to vitamin.
After relocating to New York City in 1915, Funk became a citizen of the United States in 1920. He conducted research at US institutions for several years before beginning to work as a consultant for the US Vitamin Corporation.
Over the next few years, Funk continued to discover additional vitamins and pinpoint the foods that contained them. But in the 35 years that passed after the publication of his book Die Vitamine, researchers from all over the world found thirteen new vitamins.
Funk has made significant contributions to nutrition and health since he expanded the field of science and enhanced the treatment of conditions like scurvy.
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