Carlos Chagas Filho, Brazilian biophysicist (Rio de Janeiro 12 September 1910 – Rio de Janeiro 16 February 2000)

Son of Carlos Chagas (filho means son in Portuguese) 

ACHIEVEMENTS

Authored about 200 scientific papers

Described action of curare and curare-like action substances in electro plaque

Discovered that electro plaques have 2 kinds of excitability 

Explained operating mechanism of Electrophorus electricus electrical organ   

Discovered central nucleus that commands electrical discharges in medula oblongata of the eel

Described micro heterogeneity of desmin in electrical organ of poraquê (Electrophorus electricus) 

Identified nicotinic receptor in poraquê (Electrophorus electricus)

Showed that acetylcholine played a role in the process of electric discharges of Electrophorus electricus 

Isolated the acetylcholine membrane receptor of electrical fishes

Introduced notion of specific and unspecific receptors

With D. Bovet & L. Sollero described the in vivo curarisation of the electric organ of the Electrophorus electricus (1953)

With C. Chagas, M. Françon & H.C. Parreira. Nouvelle methode d’etude des gradientes d’indice applicable a la electrophorese. An. Acad. Bras. Cien. 27:385, 1955

On the use of a multivibrator as a Geiger-Muller counter external quenching circuit

With M.X. de Oliveira. Electrogênese em cultura de tecidos (1946)

With A. Leão, M.F. Moreira & M.S. Santos. On the low voltage discharge of the electrophorus. Nature (1946)

With D. Albe-Fessard & H.M. Ferreira. Sur l’existence d’un systeme directment excitable dans l’organe eléctrique. C.R. Acad. Sciences 232:1015-7, 1951

With D. Albe-Fessard & H.M. Ferreira. Sur l’existence d’un systeme effecteur de la décharge electrique des Electrophorus electricus. Anais Acad. Bras. Ciencias (1951)

Técnica de registro dos potenciais elétricos de miocárdio em cultura

HONORS

President, Pontifical Academy of Sciences (1973-90)

Doctor Honoris Causa, Université de Paris