Zheng Ji (biochemist)

Zheng Ji (Chinese:郑 集; born May 6, 1900 in Liujiachang, Nanxi County, Sichuan; † July 29, 2010 in Nanjing, Jiangsu) was a Chinese nutritionist and biochemist. He is regarded in China as the founder of modern Chinese food science and pioneer in the field of biochemistry.

Life and work

Zheng came from a poor peasant family. He worked as a shepherd boy and was only 14 years old attend primary school, graduating at age 17. Due to his poverty he could not attend secondary school and continued his education self-taught. After a friend had collected money to support him, he walked seven days to walk to Chengdu, where he in 1921 passed the entrance examination for the College of Education, the study but had to cancel due to illness. In a second attempt in 1924, he passed the entrance examination for the Biology Faculty of the prestigious National Southeastern University, which later became National Central University and Nanjing University today. In 1928 he completed his studies in biology and chemistry with a Bachelor exam and worked as an assistant at Faculty of Agriculture. In 1930 he received a government scholarship to continue his studies in the United States. There, he specialized in biochemistry and nutritional science and studied at Ohio State University (MA 1931), the University of Chicago, Yale University and Indiana University, where he met with a thesis on the protein chemistry of soybean to Ph.D. 1934 doctorate.

After returning to his home country, he worked as a research fellow at the Chinese Scientific Research Institute and a professor at the medical school opened in 1935 at the University of Nanjing, where he established the Department of Biochemistry. In 1945 he founded at Nanjing University, the Research Institute of Biochemistry, the first official biochemical research facility in China. As a professor of biochemistry and director of the Institute of Biochemical teaching and research at the Faculty of Medicine of Nanjing University, he formed into old age from numerous well-known Chinese biochemist. In addition, he was since 1950 a professor of biochemistry at the Medical College of the 2nd Army of the People's Liberation Army and in 1956 professor at the Medical College Army # 4 in Xi'an. In addition to teaching, he published seven scientific monographs and 56 scientific papers. A particular concern Zheng was to improve the nutritional status of the population through the spread of nutritional knowledge. To this end, he wrote numerous popular science articles and has lectured on the radio.

During the Sino -Japanese War, the medical school was temporarily moved to Chengdu. There Zheng founded the " Scientific Society for Biochemistry Chengdu ," the first scientific association of Biochemistry in China. Later he participated in the founding of the Chinese Society for Nutritional Sciences, the first of which he became president, and the Biochemical Society.

During the Chinese civil war in 1949 he was a member of the university administration and was planned by the Kuomintang laying prevent Nanjing University in the south of the country. During the Cultural Revolution in 1972 he was interrogated several times and got 13 ​​months under house arrest.

After his 70th birthday he began to deal with the biochemistry of aging processes. He examined more than one hundred healthy old people over 70 and put on a theory that the cause of aging is to disorders of cell metabolism, which are enhanced by environmental influences and an unhealthy lifestyle. Thus he became the founder of geriatric Biochemistry in China. Also on this topic he wrote popular science books and articles.

With 74 years Zheng, the next Chinese nor English, French, German and Russian dominated to learn Japanese began. With 90 years he learned Korean and gave two talks at the World Congress of Gerontology in Pyongyang.

Between his 80th and his 90th year, several publications including Zheng's his textbook " General Biochemistry " and the essay " The way to healthy long life " were awarded with prizes. He also supervised graduate students and brought with him 98 years of his " General Biochemistry " in third, substantially revised edition out. Until his 100th birthday he was still working daily in the University, making it the world's oldest active high school teacher. Only after a fall with subsequent prolonged hospitalization Zheng gave up teaching, but published until in his last year of life. In 2010 he published his book " Staying Healthy is the best doctor " by which he expected to be the world's oldest author. In its 111th year, he directed the end of June 2010 together with Zhu Hao Kang, a 19 -year-old high school graduates from Nanjing, under the title "Plan 130 " an appeal to the statesmen of the world to work for peace and a harmonious development, to 130 (111 19) leaders should be sent. Zheng, who enjoyed to the last complete mental clarity, was admitted to hospital in April 2010 because of her old age, and died of severe pneumonia. He left a son and two daughters.

Zheng, the long very modest lived his life, donated most of his fortune to scientific societies and a support fund for needy students.