Curt Paul Richter was an American biologist, psychobiologist and geneticist who made important contributions in the field of circadian rhythms.
12 Facts About Curt Richter
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Notably, Richter identified the hypothalamus as a "biological pacemaker" involved in sleeping and wakefulness.
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In particular, this region suspected by Curt Richter was later identified as the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
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Curt Richter was born on February 20,1894, in Denver, Colorado, to German immigrants from Saxony, Germany.
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Curt Richter's father was an engineer who owned a steel and iron firm in Denver.
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In 1912, Richter studied engineering at a Technische Hochschule in Germany, but he left after the outbreak of World War I in 1914, switching to Harvard University where he studied biology under William E Castle.
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Curt Richter graduated from Harvard in 1917 and, after a brief tour in the United States Army, studied under John Watson at Johns Hopkins University.
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Johns Hopkins 8.
Curt Richter induced need states in experimental animals by depriving them of substances essential to survival, or manipulating their hormone levels.
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Curt Richter showed that these need states generate appetites, and behaviors precisely fitting the animal's need even if the animal had never before experienced the need; demonstrating genetic programming of behavior.
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Curt Richter triggered other pre-programmed behaviors, such as nest building, by manipulating hormone levels.
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Curt Richter was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1948, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1956, and the American Philosophical Society in 1959.
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Curt Richter is quoted widely for his drowning rat experiments, where rats would drown in a fairly short time without attempting to swim.