David de Wied

David de Wied ( born January 12, 1925 in Deventer, † 21 February 2004 in Utrecht) was a Dutch physician ( Endocrinology). He is known for interdisciplinary research on neuropeptides.

Due to the Second World War, in which he had to go as a Jew in the underground, he first studied medicine in 1947 at the University of Groningen, where he received his doctorate in 1952. In 1955 he received his degree as a physician. He was a lecturer from 1958 and from 1961 Professor of Experimental Endocrinology ( Experimental Pharmacology ) at the University of Utrecht and in 1963 professor of pharmacy and director of the Rudolf Magnus Institute. In 1990 he retired, but remained scientifically active in the Institute.

He showed the influence of the pituitary hormones ACTH, vasopressin and MSH on learning ability. He showed changes in behavior after removal of part of the pituitary gland, which was abolished upon administration of the hormones again. ACTH is, for example, a stress hormone and controls fear responses, recognizable as the active and passive avoidance learning.

In 1996 he received the AH Heineken Prize for Medicine. He was a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences, the Department of Natural Sciences from 1981 to 1984 he presided, and which he was president from 1984 to 1990. He was a Knight of the Netherlands Lion and Kommendeur the Order of Orange -Nassau. A faculty building at Utrecht University is named after him.

He was co-founder of the European Journal of Pharmacology.