List of people considered father or mother of a scientific field


The following is a list of people who are considered a "father" or "mother" of a scientific field. Such people are generally regarded to have made the first significant contributions to and/or delineation of that field; they may also be seen as "a" rather than "the" father or mother of the field. Debate over who merits the title can be perennial.

Science as a whole

FieldPerson/s
Rationale
Science Galileo Galilei
For systemic use of experimentation in science and contributions to scientific method, physics and observational astronomy
Science Thales Attempted to explain natural phenomena without recourse to mythology

Natural sciences

Biology

Chemistry

Earth sciences

Medicine and physiology

FieldPerson/s
Rationale
Anatomy Marcello Malpighi
BiophysicsHenri Dutrochet Discovered osmosis
BiophysicsHermann von Helmholtz Explained hearing and vision.
BiomechanicsChristian Wilhelm Braune First to describe the methodology of human gait.
BioelectromagneticsLuigi GalvaniFirst to discover animal electricity through a series of experiments in 1780.
Cardiovascular physiologyIbn al-NafisFather of circulatory and cardiovascular physiology".
Cognitive therapyAaron T. Beck
CryonicsRobert Ettinger1962 book, The Prospect of Immortality
ElectrophysiologyEmil du Bois-Reymond The discoverer of nerve action potential.
Emergency medicine
Epidemiology John SnowDetermining the cause of the 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak with a combination of public interviews and mapping
Gastrointestinal physiologyWilliam Beaumont
GynaecologyJ. Marion Sims
HistologyMarcello Malpighi
Human anatomy VesaliusDe humani corporis fabrica
Medical geneticsVictor McKusickMendelian Inheritance in Man
Medicine
Medicine
NeurosurgeryHarvey Cushing Developed techniques that considerably reduced the risks involved with brain surgery in the early 20th century.
Nutrition
Organ transplantationThomas Starzl Performed the first human liver transplant and established the clinical utility of anti-rejection drugs including ciclosporin. Developed major advances in organ preservation, procurement and transplantation.
Orthopedic surgery Hugh Owen Thomas He stressed the importance of rest in treatment and was responsible for many landmark contributions to orthopaedic surgery. He was especially celebrated for his design and use of splints; the famous Thomas knee splint was still in wide use at the end of World War II.
Psychology Wilhelm WundtFounded the first laboratory for psychological research.
PediatricsMuhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi Wrote The Diseases of Children, the first book to deal with pediatrics as an independent field.
PhysiologyFrançois MagendiePrécis élementaire de Physiologie
Physical cultureBernarr Macfadden "It delighted the heart of our old friend Bernarr Macfadden, 'the Father of Physical Culture,' when we told him how much athletic activity and good sportsmanship had to do with the rehabilitation of boys."
Plastic surgeryWrote the Sushruta Samhita
PsychoanalysisSigmund Freud
PsychophysicsElements of Psychophysics
Space medicineHubertus Strughold "After Wernher von Braun, he was the top Nazi scientist employed by the American government, and he was subsequently hailed by NASA as the 'father of space medicine'"
Surgery Sushruta Wrote the Sushruta Samhita''
Surgery
ToxicologyParacelsus

Physics and astronomy

Formal sciences

Mathematics

Systems theory

Social sciences

Economics

Schools of thought

Theories