Biochemistry and neurochemistry in the 1800s: their origins in comparative animal chemistry.

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the status of biochemistry and neurochemistry in the 1800s. The term neurochemistry was introduced in 1856 for a subject that blended neural and chemical studies in a fashion similar to that understood as neurochemistry at present. Animal chemistry, as exemplified by about 30 textbooks, monographs, and papers between 1800 and the 1870s sought to give understandable combined accounts of relevant knowledge of chemistry and biology. The subject evolved from earlier work in natural history and in many instances showed characteristics such as (1) tabulating or listing of both chemical and biological data in a graded, natural history manner or the inclusion of comparative chemical studies of different animal species, (2) the studying of digestion and the animalization of plant food constituents, and (3) the invoking of special features in neural systems to explain metabolic change or its control. The subject title comparative animal chemistry was found in the 1850s. Chitin has been emphasized as a characteristic chemical component of insects.

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