Johannes Peter Müller was a German physiologist known for his research in the fields of anatomy, zoology and embryology. He is considered by many to be the most significant life scientist and biological researcher in Germany during his era.

Müller was born in Coblenz, Germany on July 14, 1801 to a well to do shoemaker who hailed from a family of winegrowers. He studied at the newly opened University of Bonn where he was awarded his medical degree in December 1822. He continued his studies for 18 months in Berlin where he successfully took the state medical exam in 1824. He returned to Bonn that year, and in 1826 he was appointed to the Chair of Physiology at the age of 24 and a full professorship at 29. In 1833, Müller took a professorship at Berlin University in anatomy and physiology where he remained until the end of his life. He...