The 1938 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognized the discovery of how the human body measures oxygen levels and blood pressure, transmitting this essential data to the brain. This physiological breakthrough was driven by the work of Corneille Heymans, a Belgian scientist whose investigations into cardiovascular reflex arcs redefined the understanding of respiratory control systems.
Academic Foundation and Early Roles
Born in Ghent in 1892, Corneille Jean François Heymans received his education at the Sint-Barbaracollege before advancing to Ghent University, where he earned his doctorate in 1920. Following his graduation, he undertook international scientific training, working under influential figures at the Collège de France, the University of Lausanne, the University of Vienna, and Case Western Reserve University. He also held a position at University College London. By 1922, he began his tenure as a lecturer in pharmacodynamics at Ghent University. In 1930, he succeeded his father, Jean-François Heymans, as the Professor of Pharmacology and took on the leadership of the J. F. Heymans Institute, where he directed departments focusing on pharmacology, pharmacodynamics, and toxicology.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Investigating Respiratory Regulation
The core of Heymans' research involved complex experimentation to map how the body regulates breathing and blood circulation. Using vivisection techniques on dogs, he developed cross-perfusion experiments to isolate neural responses from blood-borne chemical stimuli. By severing the connection between the brain and body while maintaining nerve paths, he determined that the cardiovascular reflex arc relied on the vagus nerves. His experiments demonstrated that peripheral chemoreceptors, rather than systemic blood influence alone, were critical for respiratory regulation. This discovery relied heavily on the anatomical descriptions provided by the Spanish neurohistologist Fernando de Castro Rodríguez, whose work on the carotid sinus and carotid body enabled Heymans to identify the precise mechanisms of chemoreception.
Professional Recognition and Membership
Beyond his laboratory findings, Heymans served as the long-term editor-in-chief of the Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Thérapie. His contributions to science earned him a vast array of international honors and honorary degrees from institutions including the universities of Alger, Paris, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Toulouse, and the Marie and Louis Pasteur University. He held memberships in numerous distinguished bodies, such as the French Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Académie Nationale de Médecine, the American Philosophical Society, the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium, and the Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL.
Fast facts
- Born: 1892, Ghent, Belgium
- Died: 1968, Knokke-Heist, Belgium
- Nobel Prize: Physiology or Medicine, 1938
- Education: Sint-Barbaracollege and Ghent University
- Spouse: Berthe May
- Major research focus: Physiology of respiratory control
- Academic role: Director, J. F. Heymans Institute
- Burial site: Campo Santo
Questions readers ask
What was the specific focus of Heymans' Nobel Prize winning research?
He demonstrated how the body utilizes blood pressure and oxygen levels to regulate respiration via peripheral chemoreceptors.
Did anyone else contribute to the discovery of the carotid body function?
The Spanish neurohistologist Fernando de Castro Rodríguez provided the anatomical details regarding the innervation of the aorta-carotid region that allowed Heymans to identify the chemoreceptors.
Achievements
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine — 1938
- Held posts at University College London and Ghent University
- Fields: physiology
