Skip to main content
Log in

Sir Henry Hallet Dale

1875–1968

  • General Article
  • Published:
Resonance Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sir Henry Hallet Dale can undisputedly be accoladed as one of the greatest British pharmacologists of the twentieth century. His work was pivotal in laying down the principles of chemical neurotransmission. This article gives some account of Dale’s life and his most important discoveries, including the identification of acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter in the autonomic and somatic nervous systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Suggested Reading

  1. H H Dale, Adventures in Physiology, Pergamon Press Ltd, 1953.

    Google Scholar 

  2. H H Dale, An Autumn Gleaming, Pergamon Press Ltd, 1954.

    Google Scholar 

  3. H W Davenport, Early History of the Concept of Chemical Transmission of the Nerve Impulse, The Physiologist, 34, pp.129–190, 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  4. W Feldberg, Henry Hallett Dale 1875–1968, British Journal of Pharmacology, 35, pp.1–9, 1969.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. S Finger, Minds Behind the Brain, Oxford University Press, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  6. M C Fishman, Sir Henry Hallett Dale and the Acetylcholine Story, Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 45, pp.104–118, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  7. G B Koelle, Henry Hallett Dale 1875–1968, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 7, pp.288–289, 1986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. M R Lee, The History or Ergot of Rye (Claviceps purpurea) II: 1900–1940, The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, 39, pp.365–369, 2009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. H O Schild, Dale and the Development of Pharmacology, British Journal of Pharmacology, 56, pp.3–7, 1976.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. G W Shepherd, Creating Modern Neuroscience, Oxford University Press, 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  11. E M Tansey, Henry Dale and the Discovery of Acetylcholine, Comtes Rendus Biologies, 329, pp.419–425, 2006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. E M Tansey, Henry Dale, Histamine and Anaphylaxis: Reflections on the Role of Chance in the History of Allergy, Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 34, pp.455–472, 2003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. E S Valenstein, The Discovery of Chemical Neurotransmitters, Brain and Cognition, 49, pp.73–95, 2002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. E S Valenstein, The War of the Soup and the Sparks, Columbia University Press, 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  15. A P Wickens, A History of the Brain: From Stone Age Surgery to Modern Neuroscience, Psychology Press, 2014.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew Wickens.

Additional information

Andrew Wickens was a lecturer in Neuroscience at the University of Central Lancashire for over 25 years. His History of the Brain won the best textbook of the year award by the British Psychological Society in 2016.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wickens, A. Sir Henry Hallet Dale. Reson 24, 833–845 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-019-0847-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-019-0847-8

Keywords

Navigation