Ernst Knobil (1926–2000)

Ernst Knobil (1926–2000)

Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology 21, 173 (2000) doi:10.1006/frne.2000.0201, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on IN MEMORIAM Ernst Knobil...

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Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology 21, 173 (2000) doi:10.1006/frne.2000.0201, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on

IN MEMORIAM Ernst Knobil (1926 –2000) While this issue of Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology was in press, the sad news came that Dr. Ernst Knobil had died on April 13. Dr. Knobil was an outstanding scientist and a leader in neuroendocrinology. Among his many contributions was the discovery that the GnRH secreted in a pulsatile fashion stimulated the secretion of LH, but steady exposure of the pituitary to GnRH inhibited LH secretion. This observation led to major advances in our understanding of neuroendocrine physiology, and transferred to the clinic, it led to seminal changes in the treatment of prostate cancer, precocious puberty, and infertility. Recognition for his achievements came in the form of many awards and included membership in the Hungarian and Italian Academies of Sciences, the French Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Knobil was a member of the editorial board of Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology from the time it first became a review journal in 1990 until his death. On a more personal level, he was a good friend of both of us. He and Fran Ganong were postdoctoral fellows together at Harvard Medical School, and Luciano Martini worked with him in the International Society of Endocrinology and succeeded him as its president. Therefore, it is with a great sense of personal loss as well as respect for his many contributions that we dedicate this issue of Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology to him. Luciano Martini William F. Ganong

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