Zheng Xiangtong Biography

Author: Zhang Weitong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: This book is a vivid and authentic biography of the internationally renowned neurophysiologist, Zhang Xiangtong, a 96-year-old Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is highly readable. The book recreates the arduous journey of Zhang Xiangtong's lifelong pursuit of science, his remarkable academic contributions, and his noble spiritual character, making it suitable for scientists, university and high school teachers and students, as well as the general public.
Zhang Xiangtong (1907–) is a Chinese neurophysiologist and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was born on November 27, 1907, in Zhengding County, Hebei Province. He graduated from the Department of Physiology at Peking University in 1933. From 1943 to 1946, he studied as a graduate student at the Department of Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine in the United States, earning a Ph.D. in philosophy. He held various positions, including Lecturer and Assistant Professor at Yale University School of Medicine, Visiting Fellow at The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in the United States, Researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Researcher and Director at the Shanghai Brain Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Council Member of the Central Council of the International Brain Research Organization, Visiting Scholar at the Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, USA, and Foreign Honorary Academician of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium.
He was the first to propose that the motor cortex of the brain represents muscles. Based on the analysis of visual cortical evoked potentials, he proposed the trichromatic transmission theory in the visual pathway, discovered the "light intensification" phenomenon, which was named the "Zhang Effect" by the world of physiology. He was the first to discover dendritic potentials and also engaged in research on the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia, believing that acupuncture analgesia is the result of the interaction of two sensory inputs in the central nervous system. In 1991, he was elected as an Honorary Member of the World Pain Research Society. He published over 100 academic papers, including "Muscle Representation in the Motor Cortex of the Macaque Brain," "Functional Organization of the Central Visual Pathway," "Repetitive Discharge in the Circuits Between the Cortex and Thalamus," "Dendrites of Cortical Neurons," and "Neurophysiological Basis of Acupuncture Analgesia."
As an internationally renowned neurophysiologist, Academician Zhang Xiangtong is a pioneer in the study of the physiological functions of dendrites and one of the scientists who have made the greatest contributions to neurophysiology in China. He has played a significant role in advancing the development of neuroscience in China. His important achievements include the motor cortex muscle representation area, classification of muscle afferent nerve fibers, the neural mechanism of acupuncture analgesia, and visual research. He is hailed by international peers as one of the "individuals who contributed to the progress of neuroscience from 300 BC to 1950 AD."
In 1992, Zhang Xiangtong received the "Life Science Award" from the International Neural Network Society and the "Science and Progress Achievement Award" for the year 2000 from the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Selection Committee.
With a rigorous and faithful attitude and rich, detailed descriptions, this book authentically portrays the arduous journey of Academician Zhang Xiangtong's lifelong pursuit of science, his remarkable academic contributions, and his noble spiritual character.