Gabriel Bertrand
Biochemist and bacteriologist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gabriel Bertrand (born 17 May 1867 in Paris, died 20 June 1962 in Paris) was a French pharmacologist, biochemist and bacteriologist.
Bertrand's rule
Gabriel Bertrand | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 May 1867 Paris |
| Died | 20 June 1962 (aged 95) Paris |
| Known for | concepts of oxidase and trace elements Bertrand's rule |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Institut Pasteur |
| Doctoral advisor | Émile Duclaux |
| Other academic advisors | Edmond Frémy |
Bertrand introduced into biochemistry both the term “oxidase” and the concept of trace elements.
The laccase, a polyphenol oxidase and an enzyme oxidating urishiol and laccol obtained from the lacquer tree, was first studied by Gabriel Bertrand[1] in 1894.[2]
Bertrand's rule refers to the fact that the dose–response curve for many micronutrients is non-monotonic, having an initial stage of increasing benefits with increased intake, followed by increasing costs as excesses become toxic.[3] In 2005, Raubenheimer et al. fed excess carbohydrates to Spodoptera littoralis and extended Bertrand's rule to macronutrients.[4]
Along with Césaire Phisalix, Bertrand isolated the psychedelic drug bufotenin in 1893, though its hallucinogenic effects were not discovered until much later.[5][6][7][8] In 1894, also with Phisalix, he developed an antivenom for use against snake bites.[9]
Bertrand was made a member of the Académie Nationale de Médecine in 1931. In 1932 he became foreign member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.[10]
