Prof. Moshe Wolman / 1914-2009
In Memoriam
“Moshe Wolman: Pioneer of Histochemistry and Electron Microscopy.”
Moshe Wolman (November 10, 1914 – September 3, 2009) was a distinguished Israeli neuropathologist, biochemist, and medical researcher whose groundbreaking contributions laid the foundation for modern histochemistry in Israel and beyond. Often hailed as a pioneer in the study of the chemical composition of cells and tissues, Wolman’s work bridged pathology, biochemistry, and ultrastructural analysis, advancing diagnostic capabilities in medicine. He is particularly remembered for establishing Israel’s first electron microscopy laboratory, a milestone that revolutionized cellular research in the young nation.
Born on November 10, 1914, in Warsaw, Poland (then part of the Russian Empire), Wolman grew up in a Jewish family during a turbulent era marked by political upheaval and rising antisemitism. He pursued medical studies at the University of Rome, Italy, earning his MD in 1938. His early exposure to European scientific traditions, particularly in pathology and biochemistry, would profoundly shape his career. With the rise of fascism in Europe, Wolman immigrated to British Mandate Palestine in 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II. He settled in Jerusalem and began working at the Hadassah Medical Center, where he would spend much of his professional life.
Wolman is widely recognized as one of the founding figures of histochemistry, the discipline that combines histological techniques with chemical analysis to study the distribution and function of molecules within tissues. His research focused on lipids in nervous tissue, where he developed staining methods to visualize complex lipids, aiding in the diagnosis of neurological disorders; on enzyme histochemistry, refining techniques to localize enzyme activity in cells and contributing to understanding metabolic processes in health and disease; and on the “Wolman reaction,” a histochemical test he devised for detecting certain phospholipids, still referenced in pathology textbooks. His 1956 paper on acid hematein staining for phospholipids became a cornerstone method in neuropathology.
In 1954, Wolman established the first electron microscopy unit in Israel at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem. This was a monumental achievement given the technological and resource constraints of the time. He personally assembled and calibrated early transmission electron microscopes, enabling ultrastructural studies of cells, viruses, and subcellular organelles, previously impossible with light microscopy. His work facilitated breakthroughs in understanding kidney diseases, viral infections, and neurodegenerative conditions. Wolman trained generations of Israeli scientists in electron microscopy, fostering a culture of precision and innovation in biomedical research.
As professor of pathology at Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School and later head of the Department of Pathology at Tel Aviv University, he published over 300 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and authored or co-edited seminal books, including Histochemistry: Theoretical and Applied (with A.G.E. Pearse). He collaborated internationally with leading figures like George Gomori and David Glick, helping integrate Israeli science into global networks.
Wolman’s accolades included the Israel Prize in Medical Sciences in 1972, Israel’s highest civilian honor, along with honorary doctorates from multiple universities and election to the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
He continued active research well into his 80s and passed away on September 3, 2009, at the age of 94 in Rehovot, Israel. His legacy endures through the continued operation and expansion of electron microscopy and histochemistry labs across Israel, the countless pathologists and biochemists he mentored, and his indirect influence on the characterization of Wolman Disease (a rare lysosomal storage disorder), informed by his lipid research, though he did not discover it.”
