Max Rubner (2 June 1854, Munich – 27 April 1932, Berlin) was a German physiologist and hygienist.

With his assistant Gerhard Albrecht, Rubner set out to study labour not just as the expenditure of energy, but also the use of intellect.

[1] Rubner is remembered for his research in metabolism, energy physiology, hygiene and dietary thermogenesis.

[7] Max Rubner is also known for his "rate-of-living theory", which proposed that a slow metabolism increases an animal's longevity.

The theory might have been inspired by the Industrial Revolution by the logic that the more a machine is worked, the sooner it will wear out.