# Richard Altmann
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{{short description|German histologist and pathologist of the 19th century}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Richard Altmann
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1852|3|12|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1900|12|8|1852|3|12|df=yes}}
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| education =
| occupation = [Pathologist](/source/Pathologist), [histologist](/source/histologist)
}}
'''Richard Altmann''' (12 March 1852 – 8 December 1900) was a [German](/source/Germans) [pathologist](/source/pathologist) and [histologist](/source/histologist) from [Deutsch Eylau](/source/I%C5%82awa) in the [Province of Prussia](/source/Province_of_Prussia).
Altmann studied medicine in [Greifswald](/source/Greifswald), [Königsberg](/source/K%C3%B6nigsberg), [Marburg](/source/Marburg), and [Giessen](/source/Giessen), obtaining a doctorate at the [University of Giessen](/source/University_of_Giessen) in 1877. He then worked as a [prosector](/source/prosector) at [Leipzig](/source/Leipzig), and in 1887 became an [anatomy](/source/anatomy) professor (extraordinary). He died in [Hubertusburg](/source/Hubertusburg) in 1900 from a nervous disorder.
He improved fixation methods, for instance, his solution of [potassium dichromate](/source/potassium_dichromate) and [osmium tetroxide](/source/osmium_tetroxide).[William Bechtel, ''Discovering Cell Mechanisms: The Creation of Modern Cell Biology'' (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009), [https://books.google.com/books?id=WrEquK3hoDwC&pg=PA80&dq=Richard+Altmann+granules pp 80–83].] Using that along with a new staining technique of applying acid-[fuchsin](/source/fuchsin) contrasted by [picric acid](/source/picric_acid) amid delicate heating, he observed filaments in the nearly all cell types, developed from granules.[Erik Nordenskiöld, ''[https://archive.org/details/historyofbiology00nord The History of Biology]'' (New York: Knopf, 1935), [https://archive.org/stream/historyofbiology00nord#page/538/mode/2up pp 538–39].] He named the granules "bioblasts", and explained them as the elementary living units, having [metabolic](/source/metabolic) and [genetic](/source/Genetics) autonomy, in his 1890 book "''Die Elementarorganismen''" ("The Elementary Organism").[Richard Altmann, ''Die Elementarorganismen und ihre Beziehungen zu den Zellen'' [The cellular organelles and their relations to cells], (Leipzig, Germany: Veit & Co., 1890), p. 125. From p. 125: ''"Da auch sonst mancherlei Umstände dafür sprechen, dass Mikroorganismen und Granula einander gleichwerthig sind und Elementarorganismen vorstellen, welche sich überall finden, wo lebendige Kräfte ausgelöst werden, so wollen wir sie mit dem gemeinschaftlichen Namen der Bioblasten bezeichnen."'' (Since in other ways as well various circumstances indicate that microörganisms and granula are equivalent to each other and represent elementary organisms, which are found wherever living forces are initiated, then we will designate them with the common name of "bioblasts".) Available on-line at: [http://www.deutschestextarchiv.de/book/view/altmann_elementarorganismen_1890?p=141 Deutsches Textarchiv, Berlin]][{{cite journal |last=O'Rourke |first=B. |title=From bioblasts to mitochondria: ever expanding roles of mitochondria in cell physiology |journal=Frontiers in Physiology |volume=1 |pages=7 |year=2010 |pmid=21423350 |pmc=3059936 |doi=10.3389/fphys.2010.00007 |doi-access=free }}] His explanation drew much skepticism and harsh criticism.[{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Edmund B. |title=The Cell in Development and Inheritance |edition=2nd |location=New York |publisher=Macmillan Co |year=1900 |url=https://archive.org/details/cellindevelopme10wilsgoog/page/n316 |pages=289–291}}] Altmann's granules are now believed to be [mitochondria](/source/mitochondria).["[http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/Altmann's_granules Altmann's granules]", Merriam–Webster, Accessed online: 30 Aug 2013.][Jan Sapp, "Mitochondria and their host", in W F Martin & M Müller, eds, ''Origin of Mitochondria and Hydrogenosomes'' (Heidelberg: Springer, 2007), [https://books.google.com/books?id=ypMMy4hkyvwC&pg=PA57&dq=Alternative pp 57–59].]
He is credited with coining the term "[nucleic acid](/source/nucleic_acid)" in 1889, replacing [Friedrich Miescher](/source/Friedrich_Miescher)'s term "nuclein" when it was demonstrated that nuclein was acidic.[{{cite book |last=Gribbin |first=John |author-link=John Gribbin |title=The Scientists: A History of Science Told Through the Lives of Its Greatest Inventors |publisher=Random House |location=New York |year=2002 |page=546 |isbn=0812967887}}]
== Books ==
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
== References ==
* [http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/179.html ''Richard Altmann''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004075633/http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/179.html |date=2022-10-04 }} @ [Who Named It](/source/Who_Named_It)
* [http://www.mitomed.se/html_pages/MMC_Mitochondria.html Mitochondrial Medicine Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410110711/http://www.mitomed.se/html_pages/MMC_Mitochondria.html |date=2010-04-10 }} The Mitochondrion
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Altmann, Richard}}
Category:1852 births
Category:1900 deaths
Category:People from Iława
Category:Scientists from the Province of Prussia
Category:German anatomists
Category:German pathologists
Category:German histologists
Category:History of genetics
Category:People from the Province of Prussia
Category:University of Greifswald alumni
Category:University of Königsberg alumni
Category:Marburg University alumni
Category:University of Giessen alumni
Category:Academic staff of Leipzig University
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Richard Altmann](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Altmann) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Altmann?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.