Jacob Steiner

For the Swiss mathematician (1796 to 1863) see Jakob Steiner.

For the American politician see Jacob D. Steiner.

Jacob Steiner (Steiner Erik, Budapest) is a professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a researcher of the physiology of the senses.

Academic degree

Ph. D University of Basel 1964

Academic positions

• Lecturer 1965
• Senior lecturer 1974
• Associate professor 1979
• Emeritus 1996

External academic positions

• Visiting Assoc. Prof., Univ. of Penn.
• Visiting Prof., Brown Univ.
• Visiting Scholar, Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia

Research interests

• Physiology of the senses of taste and smell in man and in animals and their Clinical trial.
• Behavioral, electrophysiological and autonomous reactions to chemical stimuli.
• Developmental aspects of oral functions.

Research projects

• Behavioral reactions to chemical stimuli (taste and smell) in autistic people.
• Behavioral response to chemical stimuli in man and animals:

"Steiner’s research, which involved infants only a few hours old, clearly shows that humans are born with the capacity to distinguish between various tastes. Jacob E. Steiner, a taste researcher at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, almost all babies, when tasting sweet stimuli, show a ’’marked relaxation of the face, resembling an expression of ’satisfaction.’ ’’ This expression is often followed by a slight smile and even ’’eager licking of the upper lip.’’ When the babies were fed a bitter solution, on the other hand, their facial expressions turned to ’’dislike and disgust or rejection.’’" New York Times April 16.1989. Can Society Tell You What Tastes Good?

"The meticulous observation, semiquantitative analysis and evaluation of behavioral reactions is proposed as one of the most relevant and valid avenues of investigation on the workup of chemosensory stimuli by the living organism. Behavioral manifestations, are probably even in a much easier way "readable" indicators of pleasure and displeasure than any other event-related bodily manifestation. In fact, the phenomenon of bacterial chemotaxis (as usually divided in positive- respectivel y negative chemotaxis) belong to the same category or kind of innate, probably even inherited reflectory mechanisms expressing " acceptance" - 'indifference' and 'aversion' of the organism." Jacob E. Steiner

Publications

• Taste-acceptance and taste aversion reflected by behavioral 1997
• Taste and smell in familial dysautonomia. 1997
• Specific androstenone-anosmia in patients with impaired sperm 1996
• Taste-induced facial expressions in apes and humans. 1995
• Book review: Pleasure: The Politics and The Reality, 1995
• Behavioral responses to tastes and odors in man and animals. 1994
• Behavior manifestations indicative of hedonics and intensity in 1994
• Taste and odor: Reactivity in depressive disorders: A 1993
• Taste- and odor-reactivity in elderly demented patients. 1992
• Olfactory perception of androstenone is related to male 1992
• Behavioral reactions to gustatory stimuli in young chicks ( 1990
• Analysis of betaine-induced feeding behavior in the Prawn 1990
• Sensory experience induced by nitrous oxide analgesia. 1990

Rescued 1945

Lars Ernster, Edith Ernster and Jacob Steiner lived during the World War II in the office of the Swedish Embassy in Budapest Üllöi ut 2-4. Initially, there were 250 workers; later about 400 people working around the clock (Edith Ernster remembers Wallenberg). In the night of January 8. 1945 all inhabitants were dragged away by an Arrow Cross Party executing brigade of the city commandership near to the Danube banks. At midnight 20 policemen with drawn bayonets broke into the Arrow Cross house and rescued all []. Among the saved persons January 8. 1945. Lars Ernster rescued to Sweden and Jacob Steiner rescued to Israel. Lars Ernster was 1977 - 1988 member of the Board of Nobel Foundation, Jacob Steiner is professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Information from Jacob Steiner after he has read this page: On December 25, 1944, Jacob Steiner's father was shot dead by Arrow Cross militiamen on, falling into the Danube as a result. His father had been an officer in World War I and spent 4 years as a prisoner of war in Russia.

Memorial: Shoes on the Danube Promenade

See also

• Clinical neurophysiology
• Shoes on the Danube Promenade

Sources

• New York Times April 16.1989. Can Society Tell You What Tastes Good?
• Hebrew University of Jerusalem []