The History of Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is essential for red blood cell production, nerve health, DNA synthesis, and energy. Its discovery unfolded over more than 100 years, turning a once-fatal disease, pernicious anemia, into a treatable condition.

Early Recognition: Pernicious Anemia

In the mid-1800s, English physician Thomas Addison described a mysterious, deadly anemia. Patients became pale, weak, exhausted, and died within months or years. He called it “idiopathic anemia” (cause unknown). Today we know it as pernicious anemia, caused by the body’s inability to absorb B12. Addison’s detailed observations in the 1840s–1850s laid the groundwork for later researchers.

Liver as Treatment: George Whipple’s Work

In the early 1900s, Dr. George Whipple studied anemia in dogs after blood loss. He found that feeding raw liver dramatically regenerated blood cells and healed liver tissue. Whipple hypothesized that liver contained powerful healing substances. His experiments (published 1918–1920s) showed liver was far superior to other foods for blood regeneration. This paved the way for human trials.

Breakthrough Treatment: Minot and Murphy

In 1926, Boston doctors George Minot and William Murphy built on Whipple’s findings. They fed patients with pernicious anemia large amounts of raw liver (up to half a pound daily). Results were dramatic, red blood cell counts rose, symptoms improved, and many patients recovered. Before this, pernicious anemia was almost always fatal. Minot, Murphy, and Whipple shared the 1934 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this life-saving discovery.

The Missing Piece: Intrinsic Factor – William Castle

Even with liver working, doctors puzzled over why pernicious anemia patients could not absorb the active factor from food. In the late 1920s, Dr. William Castle (Harvard) conducted key experiments. He showed two factors were needed:

“Extrinsic factor” = present in food (later identified as B12).

“Intrinsic factor” = produced in the stomach lining, required for absorption.

Castle proved pernicious anemia patients lacked intrinsic factor, so oral liver helped only if enough was eaten to overcome the absorption defect. His work (1927–1930s) explained the disease’s cause and guided future treatments.

Isolation and Identification of Vitamin B12

By the 1940s, scientists raced to isolate the active liver substance. In 1948, Karl Folkers (Merck, USA) and E.L. Smith (Glaxo, UK) independently crystallized a bright-red compound from liver extracts. They named it vitamin B12 (cobalamin due to its cobalt atom). Mary Shorb’s bacterial assay helped identify it.

In 1956, British chemist Dorothy Hodgkin determined B12’s complex structure using X-ray crystallography, the first for a vitamin. She received the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this and other work.

Summary

The history of vitamin B12 shows how careful observation, animal research, clinical trials, and chemistry turned a fatal disease into a manageable one. Pernicious anemia, once a death sentence, is now treated with B12 injections or high-dose oral forms. At our clinic we emphasize bioavailable B12 (methyl- or hydroxocobalamin) for optimal nerve, energy, and brain support, especially when absorption issues exist.

Disclaimer: The content presented on this website serves educational and informational purposes and is not meant to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult your doctor for any inquiries concerning medical conditions. Do not disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice based on information obtained from this website.