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Jan Evangelista Purkyně was born sometime between December 17 and December 19, 1787, in the castle in Libochovice near Litomeřice, Bohemia (then part of the Austrian monarchy), now in the Czech Republic. Purkyně died on July 28, 1869.
He was the oldest son of Josef and Rozálie (born Šafránková) Purkyně. His father worked as the chamberlain of Libochovice manor. Jan learned to observe nature and people initially from his father, who used to take him on trips with the owner of the manor. He inherited diligence and discipline as well as a sense of humor from his mother. Jan began to read early and was introduced to Komensky´s illustrated children’s book Orbis Pictus. He also learned to read Latin and Greek texts from a priest by the name of Schiffner in Libochovice.
In 1793, Purkyně´s father died leaving his wife Rozálie with their two sons Jan and Josef. With assistance from Rozálie´s friends, Jan was enrolled at the Piaristic grammar school. After graduation from that school (1804) and upon recommendation of his teachers, Jan went to a monastic school in Dobrá Voda. Due to his excellent performance, he managed to complete the three-year program in one year. He then started to teach at the lower grammar school in Strážnice, and from there, he went to teach at the Piaristic Institute in Litomyšl. There, he devoted himself to the study of philosophy, history, and poetry and became a devoted fan of the German philosopher F. W. Schelling.
In 1807, Jan began to study philosophy at Prague University. He had to leave his studies after the third year because of financial reasons and he began to teach Baron Hildprandt’s son Ferdinand in Blatná. With Hildprandt’s financial support, Jan went back to Prague in 1812 to study medicine. Upon completion of his medical program, he applied for several faculty positions but was not accepted in any of them. In 1819, he wrote a doctoral thesis about subjective aspects of vision [1].
In 1822, Jan secretly traveled to Germany and was introduced to a minister of state by the name of Schultz who arranged for him a meeting with Goethe. In 1823, and upon the recommendation of Goethe, the Prussian king signed a decree which nominated Purkyně a professor in the Medical School of Wroclaw (Breslau in Prussia) where he continued his research [2]. There, he lectured on physiology, eye pathology, and psychology, but his lectures were not well attended. He continued his study of subjective visual perception and in 1825 had his comprehensive work on this topic, dedicated to Goethe, published [3].
In 1827, Jan Evangelista Purkyně married Julie Anežka Rudolphi in Berlin. They had two daughters and two sons. Both of his daughters died of cholera. Purkyně became a member of the Leopoldina Science Academy in 1829. In 1830, he was named a professor of botany at Wroclaw University. In 1834, his wife Julie died, leaving Purkyně with two young sons. He did not remarry.
Purkyně turned his focus to botany and was awarded the Montyonov prize in France for his monograph De cellulis antherarum fibrosis nec non de granorum pollinarium formis in 1833. In 1836, the State Secretary accepted Purkyně´s suggestion for the establishment of a physiological institute (the first in Central Europe). In 1849, by the emperors’ decree, Purkyně was called back to Prague as a professor. Purkyně was later nominated as a member of London’s King Society. He was also honored as the guardian of Matice česká—a committee for edification of language and literature from 1852 to 1858. In 1857, with the support of Purkyně, the first Czech industry school (1857) was opened in Prague where he became the Principal from 1857 to 1859. Purkyně was a leading scientific polymath of his time. A discussion of his contributions is found in N. J. Wade, J. Brožek, Purkinje’s Vision: The Dawning of Neuroscience [4].
34.1 Subjective Visual Phenomena and the Purkyně Effect
Jan Purkyně was one of the early pioneers of what we now call Vision Science. As a medic Purkyně studied differences in subjective visual phenomena including light/shade, galvanic and vassal patterns (embranchment of vassals in his own eye), glare patterns, subjective feelings in darkness (phosphenes), blind spot, unity of both eyes’ visual fields, double sight, indirect sight, colorblindness in the peripheral retina, light patterns, and afterimages. Probably, one of the most well-known contributions of Purkyně to Color and Vision Science is that which bears his name, the Purkyně effect.
Observing red and blue flowers under average (left), dim (middle), and dark (right) illumination conditions. The simulations show that under low levels of illumination the blue colors appear much brighter compared to red ones (images recreated)
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Objective eye examination techniques (1823)
Purkyně recommended a technique for systematic objective examination of eyes using reflective pictures. In this process, the candle flames mirror on the front and back of the cornea and then on the front and back of the retina. Purkyně examined the possibility of using reflective pictures to measure the curvature of the cornea (which became the principle of keratometry and ophthalmometry) and its use in the diagnosis of eye diseases and defects. After many years, Purkyně obtained an achromatic Plossl microscope, which he placed in his own apartment since he did not have a suitable place within the university. Among other things, he observed eye luminescence and the possibility of observing the background of eyes in vivo, a principle of ophthalmometry which was later established by Helmholtz in 1850.