Herbert Spencer Gasser was a distinguished American physiologist renowned for his pioneering contributions to neurophysiology. Born in Platteville, Wisconsin, on July 5, 1888, he received his undergraduate education at the University of Wisconsin before earning his M.D. from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1915. He began his academic career at Washington University in St. Louis, where he served as professor of pharmacology from 1916 to 1931 while establishing his groundbreaking research program in nerve physiology. In 1931, he moved to Cornell University Medical College as professor of physiology, and four years later assumed the prestigious position of director of The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, a role he held with distinction until his retirement in 1953.
Gasser's most significant scientific achievement, conducted in collaboration with Joseph Erlanger, was the development of sophisticated electrophysiological techniques that enabled the precise measurement and classification of nerve fiber functions. By adapting the oscillograph for physiological research in the 1920s, they successfully visualized and amplified nerve impulses, demonstrating that different nerve fibers serve specialized functions for transmitting specific sensory information such as pain, cold, and heat. Their meticulous work established the fundamental relationship between nerve fiber thickness and conduction velocity, revealing that thicker fibers transmit impulses more rapidly than thinner ones. This groundbreaking research, which culminated in their joint receipt of the 1944 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, provided the essential foundation for modern neurophysiology and revolutionized the understanding of how the nervous system processes information.
As director of The Rockefeller Institute from 1935 to 1953, Gasser not only advanced his own research but also fostered an environment of scientific excellence that nurtured numerous important discoveries across multiple disciplines. His development of vacuum tube amplification and cathode ray oscillograph techniques created methodologies that became standard tools for neurophysiological research worldwide, enabling subsequent generations of scientists to investigate the electrical properties of nerves with unprecedented precision. The classification system for nerve fibers established by Gasser and Erlanger remains fundamental to neurological diagnosis and treatment, forming the basis for modern techniques to identify and address nervous system disorders. Gasser's legacy endures through his extensive scholarly contributions, having published over one hundred scientific papers that continue to inform contemporary neuroscience research and clinical practice.
