Chemistry pioneer, Nobel Prize winner got his start in Canton

Dear Editor:

I was recently inspired and encouraged by finding out about James Batcheller Sumner, who was born in Canton on November 19, 1887. He went on to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1946. (I found this while reading the book form of the Encyclopedia Britannica, as old fashioned as that may seem.)

The first to crystallize an enzyme, he became a professor at Cornell Medical School, then director of the Cornell Laboratory of Enzyme Chemistry. That lab was established in recognition of his work. I and many others like me suffering from GI problems are alive because of his work. It is those enzymes that keep me free of agonizing pain, that do the work of my pancreas. That is just one application, as enzymes are part of our human chemistry and can become unbalanced or deficient. Humans worldwide reap the benefits from this son of Canton, who discovered the protein nature of enzymes. This in turn made possible the pharmaceutical miracles some of us need to live.

It would be nice if we could identify the Canton teachers who encouraged Dr. Sumner to pursue science, but in the meantime I’ll just thank Coach Tom Bartosek, former chemistry teacher at CHS who I know has been an inspiration for many Canton students. Who knows, going forward, one of them may be able to identify the cause of or the mechanism that enables cancer cells to multiply and take over the various organs of the body. From that knowledge will come the solution to this killer in all its forms.

Sincerely,

Alice C. Brown

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=19971

Posted by Canton Citizen on Apr 11 2013. Filed under From One Citizen to Another, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.