Abderhalden reaction

Abderhalden, Emil (1877–1950), Swiss physiologist. Abderhalden is most noteworthy for his investigations in biochemistry. He produced more than 1,000 publications, writing on such subjects as enzymes, hormones, amino acids, proteins, and nutrition. In 1909 he discovered that upon the entry of a foreign protein into the blood, the bodily reaction is a defensive fermentation that causes disintegration of the protein. His name was given to the reaction. In 1912 he developed a serological test for pregnancy based on this reaction. The test proved to be unreliable, however, and was superseded in 1928 by the Aschheim-Zondek test.