Carl von Voit

Carl von Voit (1831 to 1908) was a German physiologist and dietitian, regarded by many as the father of modern dietetics. Born in Amberg, he studied at Munich and Wurzburg under Justus von Liebig, Max Joseph Pettenkofer and Albert von Kolliker, worked with Friedrich Wohler at Gottingen, and from 1863 was full professor of physiology at the University of Munich. Working with Pettenkofer, he used a respiration chamber and calorimeter to follow metabolic balances, showed that nitrogen excreted as urea measures protein turnover, and demonstrated that living bodies depend on proteins, fats and carbohydrates. He proposed a standard daily ration of about three thousand kilocalories for an adult laborer, now called the Voit standard. His Munich school drew students from around the world, including Max Rubner, and shaped early nutrition science in the United States. The German Nutrition Society has awarded a Carl von Voit medal since 1961.