born Aug. 13, 1844, Basel, Switz.
died Aug. 26, 1895, Davos
Swiss biologist.
In 1869 he discovered a substance containing both phosphorus and nitrogen in the nuclei of white blood cells found in pus. The substance, first named nuclein because it seemed to come from cell nuclei, became known as nucleic acid after Miescher separated it into a protein and an acid component. He also was one of the earliest researchers to propose that it is the carbon dioxide concentration (rather than the oxygen concentration) in the blood that regulates breathing.