Matematica

Lawrence Henderson


graduated from Harvard College in 1898 and from Harvard Medical School in 1902, receiving the M. D. (Medical Doctor) degree cum laude. Then followed two years in chemicalresearch at the University of Strasbourg with advanced scientific training in Franz Hofmeister's physiological laboratory. He became professor of biological chemistry, and later professor of chemistry,in Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was also introduced into philosophy and sociology by faculty members of Harvard University. He established some institutes in Harvard, especiallythe Fatigue Laboratory for physiological and sociological research on fatigue with the support of the Harvard Business School, and the Harvard Medical School, and he became the director.
Hendersoninvestigated acid-base regulation (1906–1920). He found that acid-base balance is regulated by buffer systems of the blood in complex coordination with respiration, the lung, red blood cells, and withthe kidneys. After him is named the Henderson equation and the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. In addition, he described blood gas transport and the general physiology of blood as physico-chemicalsystem (1920–1932). He invented and constructed new charts, nomograms, with the help of P. M. d'Ocagne. He introduced nomograms into physiology and biology as well. The consequental inter-relations ofvarious factors were shown in his book Blood in more than one hundred nomograms.
In 1913, Henderson wrote The Fitness of the Environment, one of the first books to explore concepts of fine tuning in theUniverse. Henderson discusses the importance of water and the environment with respect to living things, pointing out that life depends entirely on the very specific environmental conditions on Earth,especially with regard to the prevalence and properties of water. In the book The Fitness of the Environment (1913) he wrote we find "an inquiry into the biological significance of the properties...