Albert Szent-Györgyi and water: Pioneer of submolecular biology
Discover the groundbreaking legacy of the Hungarian Nobel Prize winner who explored the mysteries of water in biological processes.
Albert Szent-Györgyi (1893–1986) remains one of the most fascinating figures in modern biochemistry. Although he is best known for his discovery of vitamin C , which earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937, his later work on what he called " submolecular biology " opened up revolutionary perspectives on the role of water in living systems.
A visionary beyond his time
This brilliant Hungarian scientist spent much of his career at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where he developed his most daring theories. His later research was devoted to "submolecular" biology, applying quantum physics to biological processes.
In his seminal work " Introduction to a Submolecular Biology, " published in 1960, Szent-Györgyi proposed a revolutionary approach to understanding biological phenomena. This book focuses on the study of electronic interactions in biological molecules, discussing the energy cycle of life, units and measurements, electron mobility, and charge transfer problems.
Water: More than just a solvent
For Szent-Györgyi, water was not simply the medium in which biochemical reactions took place, but an active participant in life processes. His visionary insights suggested that water possessed special structural and electronic properties that directly influenced biological functions.
He developed the idea that water molecules in living systems can form organized structures capable of transporting information and energy across biological tissues. This approach was revolutionary for its time, as it challenged the conventional view of water as a simple passive solvent. 
"Water is the matter and matrix of life, its mother and environment. There is no life without water."
Charge transfers and vital energy
Szent-Györgyi was particularly interested in examples of charge transfer, notably the quinone-hydroquinone system, and he suspected that water played a crucial role in these cellular energy mechanisms. His research suggested that the electrical properties of structured water could facilitate the electron transfers necessary for fundamental biological processes.
A visionary scientific legacy
Long before modern science discovered the special properties of interfacial water (also known by the more modern term of living or structured water as we study it with [H302]- and the work of Prof. Gerald Pollack) or the effects of structured water near biological membranes, Szent-Györgyi had intuited that the molecular organization of water was fundamental to understanding life.
Professor Albert Szent-Györgyi's legacy is best summed up by himself in the mid-20th century: "The distance between these abstract quantum mechanisms..." reflects his conviction that the laws of quantum physics apply directly to biological systems, notably through water.
A revolutionary holistic approach
Szent-Györgyi proposed an integrated vision in which the quantum properties of water interact with biological macromolecules to create the phenomena of life. This "submolecular" approach anticipated by several decades modern discoveries on:
- Quantum bioenergetics
- The properties of interfacial water (or structured water [H302]- )
- Quantum coherence mechanisms in biological systems
- The importance of the structural organization of water in cells
A message for our times
Szent-Györgyi's work reminds us that nature functions according to principles of extraordinary elegance and complexity. His approach to water as an active and structuring element of life processes opens up fascinating perspectives for understanding the deep mechanisms of health and well-being.
Among his scientific publications are "On Oxidation, Fermentation, Vitamins, Health, and Disease" (1940), "Chemical Physiology of Contractions in Body and Heart Muscle" (1953), and "Introduction to a Submolecular Biology" (1960).
Szent-Györgyi's legacy invites us to reconsider water not as a simple component of our bodies, but as a fundamental player in the biological symphony that animates us. His pioneering insights continue to inspire current research into the extraordinary properties of this molecule essential to life.
Scientific sources:
- Szent-Györgyi, A. (1960). Introduction to a Submolecular Biology. Academic Press.
- Scientific Archives of the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole
- National Institutes of Health "Profiles in Science" database