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Apr 11, 2014 · African American chemist Percy Julian was a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs such as cortisone, steroids and birth control pills. Updated: Apr 16, 2021. Getty Images.
Apr 23, 1999 · In 1935, in Minshall Laboratory, DePauw alumnus Percy L. Julian (1899-1975) first synthesized the drug physostigmine, previously only available from its natural source, the Calabar bean. His pioneering research led to the process that made physostigmine readily available for the treatment of glaucoma.
Apr 15, 2024 · testosterone. Percy Julian (born April 11, 1899, Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.—died April 19, 1975, Waukegan, Illinois) was an American chemist, known for his synthesis of cortisone, hormones, and other products from soybeans. Five Black chemists who changed the world.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Support Provided By. Learn More. The story of Percy Julian remains a powerful reminder of the challenges and bigotry that many scientists of color have had to overcome. Born in 1899 in...
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Percy Lavon Julian (April 11, 1899 – April 19, 1975) was an American research chemist and a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants. He was the first to synthesize the natural product physostigmine and was a pioneer in the industrial large-scale chemical synthesis of the human hormones progesterone and testosterone ...
The grandson of enslaved people, Julian overcame racial barriers to achieve scientific, business, and personal success. A steroid chemist and an entrepreneur, Percy Julian ingeniously figured out how to synthesize important medicinal compounds from abundant plant sources, making them more affordable to mass produce.
From the soybean, he wrested a fire retardant used to douse gasoline fires on aircraft carriers during World War II; the soybean also became the foundation for hydrocortisone treatments for arthritis and for hormonal treatments. In his lifetime, Julian registered more than 130 chemical patents.
