Hartog Jacob Hamburger

Hartog Jakob or Hartog Jacob Hamburger (9 March 1859 – 4 January 1924) was a Dutch physiologist, born in Alkmaar. After completing the Hogere Burgerschool in Alkmaar, Hamburger studied chemistry at Utrecht University, where he received his doctorate in 1883,

From 1888 he lectured in physiology and pathology at the National Veterinary School, also in Utrecht. In 1896, he invented the crystalloid solution known as Hamburger's solution or normal saline. Based on plant-based experiments by botanist Hugo de Vries, he developed a salt solution that was thought to have the same osmolality as human blood and therefore did not cause haemolysis of red blood cells. It is uncertain whether the saline was ever originally intended for intravenous administration.

In 1901, he joined the University of Groningen as professor of physiology. Work on these books had started while still in Utrecht. This was initially thought to be a passive phenomenon, but was later linked to active transport by the band 3 exchanger (SLC4A1).

He was a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen) and received a number of honorary degrees, including from the University of Aberdeen, the Veterinary College at Utrecht and the University of Padua. He died in 1924 at Groningen at the age of 64.