Eduard Friedrich Wilhelm Pflüger1829–1910

Pflüger’s Archiv

Pflüger’s name is still associated with the journal he founded in 1868 - Archiv für die gesammte Physiologie des Menschen und der Thiere. It was the leading journal for physiology in the decades that followed and it still a vibrant outlet under the title Pflüger's Archiv: European Journal of Physiology. Pflüger is shown accompanied by the title page of its first volume. He did much more than found and edit a journal. His received his medical training under Johannes Müller in Berlin and then worked as an assistant to du Bois-Reymond. In 1859 Pflüger became a professor of physiology at the University of Bonn and remained there for the rest of his career. His contributions to physiology were many, including embryological physiology, respiratory physiology, sensory physiology and electrophysiology. He conducted research on intestinal peristaltic, the sensory functions of the spinal cord, protein metabolism and regulation of body temperature by the nervous system. In one of his more important studies, he proved that respiration takes place in the peripheral tissue rather than in the blood. He also performed extensive research of glycogen, and is credited with the creation of several physiological instruments. His studies on electrotonus led to the formulation of “Pflüger's law” which refers to the correlation between electrical stimulation and muscular contraction; it still reflects some of the key features of voltage dependent sodium channels.