J. F. Gudernatsch (source code)

= J. F. Gudernatsch
{c}

<J. F. Gudernatsch> tested the effects of feeding mammalian <organs> to tadpoles. His 1912 report compared diets containing <thyroid>, liver, thymus and other <tissues>. <Thyroid> feeding caused rapid differentiation toward a frog-like form, including early hindlimb development, rather than simply making larger tadpoles.<Feeding experiments on tadpoles: the influence of specific organs given as food on growth and differentiation by J. F. Gudernatsch>[Printed pp. 460–467, feeding groups and observations]{ref}

The experiment helped separate bodily growth from developmental transformation and implicated a substance in the <thyroid> in <metamorphosis>. It used crude <tissue> as food, so it demonstrated biological activity without isolating a pure <thyroid hormone> or identifying its molecular structure.