The Professors' Professor: The American Students of August Krogh

This paper examines the creation and development of an international social network between physiologists in Denmark and the United States in the period 1907-1939. At the center of the network was the Danish physiologist and 1920 Nobel Laureate August Krogh and his Zoophysiological Laboratory at the University of Copenhagen. In total, sixteen Americans were visiting researchers at the Zoophysiological Laboratory until 1939, and more than half of them were at some point in their career affiliated with Harvard University. For many of them, their visit would be the start of a long-term connection with Krogh and the broader network. This paper shows how the American visitors, Krogh, and the Zoophysiological Laboratory benefitted from being part of this network of top researchers in physiology and medicine. The visits themselves provided the Zoophysiological Laboratory with intellectual stimulus and more manpower for its research, while the American visitors received training and developed research ideas. Beyond the visits, the network gave the members, especially the central figures such as August Krogh, access to advice, job offers, funding and travel opportunities.

Automated summary

This paper explores the formation and development of an international social network among physiologists from Denmark and the United States between 1907 and 1939. The Danish physiologist August Krogh and his Zoophysiological Laboratory at the University of Copenhagen played a central role in this network. Sixteen American researchers visited the Zoophysiological Laboratory until 1939, with many of them having connections to Harvard University. The paper highlights the benefits that both the American visitors and the Zoophysiological Laboratory gained from being part of this network, including intellectual stimulation, research collaboration, training, and access to resources.