Dr. Carl Peter Henrik Dam was a pioneering Danish biochemist whose fundamental contributions to nutritional science reshaped our understanding of human physiology. Born in Copenhagen on February 21, 1895, he received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the Copenhagen Polytechnic Institute now Technical University of Denmark in 1920 and subsequently taught at the School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. He advanced to become Assistant Professor at the Institute of Biochemistry University of Copenhagen in 1928 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1929 establishing himself as a rising star in biochemical research. During his distinguished career he also studied microchemistry in Graz with F. Pregl and worked abroad with Rudolph Schoenheimer in Freiburg and P. Karrer in Zurich expanding his expertise in sterol metabolism. In 1941 he was appointed Professor of Biochemistry at the Copenhagen Polytechnic Institute later redesignated as Professor of Biochemistry and Nutrition in 1950.
Dr. Dam's most groundbreaking contribution came through his meticulous research on sterol metabolism in chicks where he discovered the critical role of what would become known as vitamin K. His key experiment involved feeding a cholesterol free diet to chickens which led to the observation of internal hemorrhages and delayed blood coagulation indicating a previously unknown nutritional deficiency. He identified this essential factor as fat soluble present in green leaves and named it vitamin K from the German Koagulationsvitamin publishing his findings in 1935. In 1939 Dam along with Paul Karrer and their coworkers successfully isolated and synthesized pure vitamin K from green leaves a breakthrough that was independently confirmed by Edward Doisy. This fundamental discovery earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1943 which he shared with Doisy for revealing vitamin K's essential role in blood coagulation and human physiology.
Beyond his Nobel Prize winning work Dr. Dam made significant additional contributions to nutritional science including the discovery that vitamin E deficiency causes increased capillary permeability in chicks. He served as leader of the Biochemical Division of the Danish Fat Research Institute from 1956 to 1962 further advancing knowledge of fats cholesterol and their relationship to human health. Throughout his career he published approximately 315 scientific articles on biochemical problems particularly concerning sterols vitamins K and E and fats establishing himself as a leading authority in nutritional biochemistry. Dr. Dam's research had profound clinical implications as vitamin K became essential for treating hemorrhagic disease in newborns and managing anticoagulant therapy. His legacy continues to influence modern medicine with vitamin K remaining critical for blood coagulation processes and increasingly recognized for its roles in bone health and cardiovascular function.
