Legacy of Dr. Joseph Erlanger: A Conversation with Dorothy Erlanger and Dr. Nino Ramirez

In our latest episode, Journal of Neurophysiology Editor-in-Chief Dr. Nino Ramirez discusses the life and scientific legacy of Dr. Joseph Erlanger with Dr. Erlanger’s granddaughter, Dorothy Erlanger. While the world knows Dr. Joseph Erlanger as a scientific pioneer in the fields of neuroscience and cardiovascular science, Dorothy Erlanger remembers her grandfather as a humble person who enjoyed weekly dinners and playing cards with his family. His work as an experimental pioneer led Dr. Erlanger, along with his collaborator Dr. Herbert Gasser, to be the first to visualize an action potential with the cathode-ray oscilloscope. This discovery led to Dr. Erlanger being awarded the Nobel Prize and continues to drive scientific discovery to this day. Listen as Dorothy Erlanger shares anecdotes about her grandfather’s real life as a scientist with engaging personal details, such as the description of the challenges Dr. Erlanger faced trying to obtain clean electrophysiological tracings with a streetcar line running beside the laboratory building. Dr. Ramirez shares the fascinating history of why Dr. Erlanger’s work was so revolutionary. How did Dr. Erlanger’s discovery about the complexities of differently shaped action potentials lead to breakthroughs in anesthesia, analgesia, and our understanding of pain? Listen now and find out.

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