Kolkata, West Bengal
A fascinating word. Actually, an eponym named after a person. Like Victoria Park, named after Queen Victoria.
Science is filled with many such eponyms. Volt, Galvanize, Nicotine, Decibel, Algorithm. Besides these, many laws and formulas are also identified by the names of scientists. Similarly, the word “Golgi” is an eponym.
Golgi, Golgi apparatus, or Golgi complex, whatever the name, it refers to a special organelle, an apparatus. A strange name! What kind of structure is this, what does it do, where is it found?
It exists inside the cell. A cell is the smallest unit of a living organism. The word “cell” comes from the Latin word cellular (meaning “small room”). Cells are extremely tiny and delicate in structure. On the outside is the membrane, and inside is the cytoplasm. Within the cytoplasm are various organelles, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.
Understanding the cell was not easy. Three hundred years of tireless research gradually revealed many details. But it still cannot be said that the complete truth about cells has been discovered.
They cannot be seen with the naked eye. Most plant and animal cells (1–100 nm) can only be observed with the help of a microscope, particularly a light microscope, which uses visible light rays. There are also microscopes that do not use light rays, such as the electron microscope, which uses electron beams instead.
The electron microscope has played a vital role in understanding microscopic structures. It has provided much information about the architecture of the cell and its internal machinery. It has revealed the existence of a very delicate organelle inside the cell, named the Golgi apparatus. What does it do? The Golgi complex processes lipids and proteins and makes them suitable for the cell, allowing them to function inside. Within the Golgi, proteins, lipids, and other molecules are modified. If the Golgi does not function properly, many diseases can occur.
The existence and role of the Golgi were not established easily. An Italian scientist named Camillo Golgi (1843–1926) was studying nerve cells. He noticed that within the cell, a delicate membrane-enclosed structure was present. He called it the Internal Reticular Apparatus (1898).
Many questioned its existence. Later, the electron microscope confirmed the reality of the Internal Reticular Apparatus. Over time, this structure came to be known in scientific terminology as the Golgi complex (1956). The organelle was thus named after its discoverer — an eponym.
The Golgi modifies protein and lipid molecules and sends them to specific locations. If this function is disrupted, numerous diseases arise, such as nervous disorders, cancer, and heart diseases.
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