This property was first identified in gallstones in 1769 by a Frenchman, François de la Salle. But as he did not publish his work, it was another Frenchman who gave the compound its name. Michel Chevreul (1786 – 1889) was born into a family of surgeons and became one of the most famous and eminent scientists of the 19th century.
As a Professor of Chemistry in Paris Chevreul made extensive studies of soap. His investigations produced a lengthy serious of papers, starting in 1813 and culminating with his seminal work on animal fats Recherches sur les corps gras d’origine animale in 1823. This publication marked the first recorded appearance of the word cholesterol. It was created from the marriage of the Greek works choli (bile) and steros (solid). It would soon enter English language usage, with Michael Faraday referring to cholesterine only four years later.
Chevreul’s remarkable body of work included publications on human perception of contrasting colours. This led to the law of simultaneous contrast, which would be a major influence on Impressionism. He was also a pioneer in the study of gerontology and he would be commemorated as the subject of the world’s first photo interview in 1886.
A relation between atherosclerosis and cholesterol was mentioned in 1889, coincidentally the year that Cheveul achieved perhaps his greatest accolade. His name was inscribed on the Eiffel Tower on its unveiling, with Chevreul honoured as one of 72 outstanding French talents in science and engineering.
From this point, cholestorol became a hot topic for scientists and work in the field earned the 1964 Nobel Prize for Medicine for Konrad Bloch and Feodor Lynen. But it would be another 20 years before the medical establishment finally acknowledged the relationship between high cholesterol levels and heart attacks. It’s been estimated that approximately 71 million Americans currently suffer from high cholesterol, with each of them being twice as much at risk of heart disease as people with average levels.
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