Sir Bernard Katz was a pioneering neurophysiologist born on March 26, 1911, in Leipzig, Germany, to Russian Jewish parents Max Katz and Eugenie Rabinowitz. He earned his medical degree from the University of Leipzig in 1934 before immigrating to England, where he completed his PhD at University College London in 1938. Following a Carnegie fellowship that took him to Australia from 1939 to 1942, he served in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II before returning to University College London in 1946. Appointed as Reader in physiology from 1950 to 1951, he succeeded Archibald Hill as Professor of Biophysics and head of the department in 1952, a position he held for 26 years until his retirement in 1978. Knighted in 1969 for his scientific contributions, Sir Bernard Katz passed away on April 20, 2003, in London at the age of 92, leaving behind a profound legacy in neuroscience.
Katz's groundbreaking research revolutionized understanding of synaptic transmission through his discovery of the "quantal" nature of neurotransmitter release at nerve junctions, demonstrating that acetylcholine is released in discrete packets rather than continuously. Working with Paul Fatt, he established that neurotransmitters are stored in synaptic vesicles and released in fixed amounts corresponding to the contents of these vesicles, fundamentally transforming the scientific community's perception of signal processing in the nervous system. His meticulous electrophysiological studies measured variations in electrical charges to reveal how impulses in motor neurons activate muscular activity through chemical signaling at synapses. This work provided the foundation for understanding how the brain communicates with the muscular system and explained the mechanisms underlying neurological disorders involving impaired nerve-muscle communication. For these discoveries concerning "the humoral transmitters in the nerve terminals and the mechanism for their storage, release and inactivation," Katz shared the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Ulf von Euler and Julius Axelrod.
As author of seminal works including "Electric Excitation of Nerve" (1939), "Nerve, Muscle and Synapse" (1966), and "The Release of Neural Transmitter Substances" (1969), Katz established the theoretical framework for modern neurophysiology with writing described as "elegant, precise and a joy to read" despite his initial unfamiliarity with English. His leadership transformed University College London's biophysics department into a world-renowned center for physiological research, attracting scientists from across the globe to study nerve and muscle function. Beyond his Nobel-recognized work, Katz made numerous other discoveries including the role of calcium ions in promoting neurotransmitter release, further advancing the biochemical understanding of neural communication. His theories and discoveries about nerve synapses provided crucial insights into nervous system impairments, opening new avenues for medical treatment of neurological disorders and inspiring subsequent generations of neuroscientists. The enduring impact of his work is evident in contemporary neuroscience, where concepts he established remain fundamental to understanding brain function and developing treatments for neurological conditions.
