Carl Ludwig (1816-1895) is often regarded as the father of modern physiology.  With von Helmholtz, du Bois-Reymond, and Brucke, Ludwig overthrew the old vitalistic concept of life phenomena and inaugurated the physio-chemical approach familiar today.  Ludwig discovered in 1849 that dried pig bladders, when soaked in a solution of sodium sulfate, took up much more water proportionately than they did sodium sulfate.  He remarked that "the smallest components of the (bladder) membrane have a pronounced affinity for water - whether it is chemical or adhesive will one day be told us by chemistry when it lifts itself out of its present theoretical misery"




Reference:
1. A Revolution in the Physiology of the Living Cell. Gilbert N. Ling. 1992.