Francis Gano Benedict

Francis Gano Benedict (October 3, 1870 – April 14, 1957) was an American chemist, physiologist, and nutritionist who developed a calorimeter and a spirometer used to determine oxygen consumption and measure metabolic rate.

He earned his Ph.D., magna cum laude, at Heidelberg University in 1895.

He taught at Wesleyan University and did work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1909,[2] a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1910,[3] and the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1914.

[6] Benedict observed Agostino Levanzin, who fasted for thirty-one days at the Carnegie nutrition laboratory.