ZUNTZ,NATHAN (1847-1920) - A GERMAN PIONEER IN HIGH-ALTITUDE PHYSIOLOGY AND AVIATION MEDICINE .1. BIOGRAPHY

In 1983, Mohler and Nicogossian (3) published a list of ''Selected cla ssic aerospace medicine publications''. In this meritorious work they identified nearly 100 beaks or papers as classical for this research f ield. Although a complete list of ''those classical papers'' was not i ntended, it is interesting to note that three publications went unment ioned: 1) ''Hohenklima und Bergwanderungen'' (High altitude climate an d mountain-touring) by Nathan Zuntz in 1906 (8); 2) ''Zur Physiologie und Hygiene der Luftfahrt'' (On the physiology and hygiene of aviation ) by Nathan Zuntz in 1912 (9); and 3) ''Hygiene der Aeronautik und Avi atik'' (Hygiene of aeronautics and aviation) by Hermann van Schrotter in 1912 (5). In 1985, one of the authors visited several places in the United States to reconstruct the German-American history of the early days of space medicine. In the course of these studies, it became obv ious that a German physiologist, Nathan Zuntz, had worked on aviation medicine as early as 1912, long before the famous names of the thirtie s, Strughold, Buff and van Diringshofen. In view of Zuntz's contributi on to high altitude and aviation medicine and the scanty biographical data in the literature, it was decided to elucidate his life and work in a special publication (I). Zuntz is revealed as one of the most pro ductive physiologists in the German-speaking countries, characterized by his outstanding approach to physiological research in the Deutsche Physiologische Gesellschaft (German Physiological Society) at the turn of the century. The following historical notes on the life and work o f Nathan Zuntz are divided into two parts. Part I will concentrate on his biography and Part II on his unique contribution to high altitude and aviation medicine and his role as a field physiologist in the Germ an Physiological Society.