Arturo Rosenblueth Stearns, Mexican neurophysiologist (Ciudad Guerrero, Chihuahua State 02 October 1900 – Ciudad de Mexico 20 September 1970)
From Jewish Hungarian father and Irish-descent mother
Considered one of the world’s most important neurophysiologists and a founder of cybernetics
Authored 153 papers and 4 monographs
ACHIEVEMENTS
Demonstrated that DNA was the main responsible for genetic transmission (1944)
With Norbert Wiener
Set the bases of cybernetics
With N. Wiener & J. Bigelow. Behavior, Purpose and Teleology. Philosophy of Science 10(1):21, 1943
Elaborated a mathematical model that describes impulses in a neuron network and perform a statistical analysis of communication process between neurons
Discovered negative feedback in human organism
Formulated mathematically cardiac impulse conduction (1946)
First proposed the concept of vulnerability to formation of an unidirectional block and introduced a specific protocol of stimulation of an one-dimensional excitable ring
With W.B. Cannon
Predicted the existence of noradrenaline (1933)
Elucidated the details of the sympathetic regulatory action
Proved chemical mediation of autonomic nervous impulses through synapses
Established quantitative laws that rule the action mode of nerve impulses
Determinated specific action of adrenaline released in striated muscles
Described in detail electrical phenomena that occur in smooth muscles
Described relative electrical instability of autonomous effectors, smooth muscles and glands
Enunciated Cannon-Rosenblueth law of denervation (1949)
With W. Cannon. The supersensitivity of denervated structures: a law of denervation
Developed Rosenblueth-Cannon test for adrenaline
Authored a classical book Physiology of the Autonomous Nervous System (1937)
With others
With J. Luco Valenzuela demonstrated that during prolonged stimulation of a motor nerve, neuromuscular fatigue is followed by a rise of tension known as Rosenblueth phenomenon (1939)
Discovered fifth stage in neuromuscular transmission
With J. Luco. The fifth stage of neuromuscular transmission. Amer. J. Physiol. 126(1), 1939
Distinguished between transmission fatigue and contraction fatigue
With J. Garcia Ramos performed fundamental studies about the origin of heart arrhytmias
Developed Rosenblueth-García Ramos method (1947)
With J. Garcia Ramos. Studies on flutter and fibrillation. The influence of artificial obstacles on experimental auricular flutter. Am.Heart J. 33(5):677-84, 1947
With Alanís and Mandoki enunciated concept of refractory functional period in nerve cell (1949)
Introduced nerve electrophysiology into the study of cardiac tissue
Enunciated mathematical laws that regulate striation and fibrillation of cardiac auricle
With W.H. Daughaday & D.D.Bond (1943) and J. Garcia Ramos (1946) described and systematized cardiac ventricle electrogram
With J. Garcia Ramos. The various components of the monophasic electrogram of the cardiac ventricle. Arch. Inst. Cardiol. Mexico 16:45-57, 1946
Relevant papers
With J. Garcia Ramos. The relations between the impedance and the emf changes in the cerebral cortex. Acta Physiol. Lat.Am. 17:76-87, 1967
With J. Garcia Ramos & L.F. Nims. Slow potential and impedance changes in the medulla of the cat. Acta Physiol. Lat.Am. 16:212-9, 1966
With J. Alanis, R. Rubio & E. López. The two staircase phenomenon. Arch. Intern. Physiol. Bioch. 67(3):374-83, 1959
Two processes for auriculo-ventricular and ventriculo-auricular propagation of impulses in the heart. Am. J. Physiol. 194(3):495-8, 1958
With N. Wiener, W. Pitts & J. Garcia Ramos. A statistical analysis of synaptic excitation. J. Cell. Comp. Physiol. 34:173-206, 1949
With N. Wiener, W. Pitts & J. Garcia Ramos. An account of the spike potential of axons. J. Cell. Comp. Physiol. 32:275-318, 1948
With N. Wiener. The mathematical formulation of the problem conduction of impulses in a network of connected excitable elements, specifically in cardiac muscle. Arch. Inst. Cardiol. Mex. 16(3):205-65, 1946
With J. Garcia Ramos & W.B. Cannon. The crossed and ipsilateral extensor spinal reflexes. Arch. Inst. Cardiol. Mex. 15(5):401-54, 1945
With J. Garcia Ramos & W.B. Cannon. Sensitization of spinal neurons by partial denervation. Arch. Inst. Cardiol. Mex. 15(4):327-48, 1945
With G.H. Parker. The electric stimulation of the concentrating (adrenergic) and the dispersing (cholinergic) nerve fibres of the melanophores in the catfish. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 27(4):198-204, 1941
With K. Lissak & A. Lanari. An explanation of the five stages of neuromuscular and ganglionic synaptic transmission. Am. J. Physiol. 128(1), 1939
With R.S. Morison. The action of eserine and prostigmin on skeletal muscle. Science 84(2190):551-2, 1936
Medicine & Physiology Nobel Prize nominee (1952)