Trypsin was discovered in 1876 by Wilhelm Kühne.[5] Although many sources say that Kühne named trypsin from the Ancient Greek word for rubbing, 'tripsis', because the enzyme was first isolated by rubbing the pancreas with glass powder and alcohol, in fact Kühne named trypsin from the Ancient Greek word 'thrýpto' which means 'I break' or 'I break apart'.[6]
^The German physiologist Wilhelm Kühne (1837-1900) discovered trypsin in 1876. See: Kühne W (1877). "Über das Trypsin (Enzym des Pankreas)". Verhandlungen des Naturhistorisch-medicinischen Vereins zu Heidelberg. new series. 1 (3): 194–198 – via Google Books.
^Kühne W (March 6, 1876). "Ueber das Trypsin (Enzym des Pankreas)" [About trypsin (enzyme of the pancreas)]. In Naturhistorisch-medizinischen Verein (ed.). Verhandlungen des Naturhistorisch-medizinischen Vereins zu Heidelberg [Negotiations by the Natural History Medical Association in Heidelberg] (in German). Heidelberg, Germany: Carl Winter's Universitätsbuchhandlung (published 1877). pp. 194–8 – via Archive.org.
^Girolami GS (2024). "Origin and Likely Etymology of the Word 'Trypsin'". Bull. Hist. Chem. 49 (1): 59–60.