Marthe Vogt

Marthe Louise Vogt (September 8, 1903 – September 9, 2003) was a German scientist recognized as one of the leading neuroscientists of the twentieth century. She is mainly remembered for her important contributions to the understanding of the role of neurotransmitters in the brain, especially epinephrine.

Early life and education Vogt was born in Berlin, the daughter of two of Germany's leading anatomists, Cécile and Oskar Vogt (French and Danish-German respectively). She was the older sister of Marguerite Vogt.

Marthe studied medicine and chemistry at Berlin University (1922–1927), earning her degree as Doctor of Medicine with research on the microscopial anatomy of the human brain. She also earned a D.Phil in chemistry for research in biochemistry on carbohydrate metabolism at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut für Biochemie under C. Neuberg (1927–1929). Sir Henry Dale was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1936 based on the work described in this paper, and he credited Feldberg and Vogt in his lecture.

In late 1935, for the second half of her Rockefeller Traveling Fellowship, Marthe Vogt began work in Cambridge on the relationship of blood pressure to substances from the ischaemic kidney with Professor E.B. Varney, with additional funding grants from the Royal Society. She was also awarded the Alfred Yarrow Research Fellowship of Girton College the next year. In 1938 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Cambridge, where she was a demonstrator in pharmacology and physiology.

Unfortunately, the politics of World War II threatened her career. Her German nationality led to an investigation by British intelligence services in 1940, who categorized her as a category A enemy alien because Nazi officials would not accept her resignation from a permanent appointment when she left Germany. She was brought before a tribunal which ruled for her immediate internment. However, Vogt's colleagues and friends rallied to her aid and an appeal was granted, freeing her to continue her work at Cambridge.

Later life Marthe Vogt later relocated to La Jolla, California in 1988 to live with her sister, noted cancer biologist Marguerite Vogt (1913–2007). Marthe Vogt died the day after her 100th birthday in 2003.