Otto Loewi (pronounced l-ee) was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on June 3, 1873. On the advice of his parents, Loewi entered the University of Strasbourg to study medicine, and received his medical degree in 1896. After graduation, he briefly visited Italy, and then returned to Germany for more training in chemistry and experimental methods. During this period, he also worked in the tuberculosis and pneumonia wards at the City Hospital of Frankfurt, where he was discouraged from continuing with clinical medicine because of high death rates. Instead, he turned his attention to an academic career in scientific research, and in 1898 he joined the department of pharmacology at the University of Marburg, first with an assistantship and then as a lecturer.

By 1902, Loewi had published the results of his scientific research at Marburg. His work dealt with the functioning of the kidneys and the effects on these organs of...