Kühne, Wilhelm (Willy) Friedrich
German physiologist Wilhelm (Willy) Friedrich Kühne (1837–1900) made fundamental contributions to three main areas: (1) enzymes and digestion, (2) neuromuscular physiology, and (3) the photochemical transduction of rhodopsin in retinal rod cells. During his protracted training, Kühne worked in the laboratories of some of the best European scientists of the day where he gained considerable and varied experience with different experimental methods. Kühne's research was subsequently interrupted by a cholera epidemic and the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, but in 1871, his career was rejuvenated when he was invited to succeed Hermann von Helmholtz as professor of physiology in Heidelberg. The incredible range and depth of his studies are reflected by some of the terms and concepts he introduced and greatly elaborated on: enzyme, trypsin, neuromuscular junction, muscle spindle, rhodopsin, optogram, and optochemical hypothesis (i.e., photochemical transduction).