Fun facts about Pharmacists across the globe !!
“Pharmacists” - previously most commonly called Druggists or Chemists are often Creative scientists, who work in most usual and unusual places right from formulating a medication in the laboratory to that of a dispensary.
Pharmacy and Pharmacists have a major share in various inventions across the world.
Most of the inventions started with soft drinks to many other were either intentional or unintentional. Surprisingly, most of the inventions were unintentional.
- Coco-Cola was invented by a Pharmacist “John Pemberton”, where he carried a jug of new product down the streets of Jacob’s Pharmacy. It was sampled and pronounced excellent and placed on the sale for 5 cents a glass as a Soda Foundation Drink.
- Pepsi — was invented by a Pharmacist “Caleb Bradham” in 1893, where the original formula for what became Pepsi-Cola.
- Bifocal glasses, Lightning rod, Glass harmonica, Franklin stove were all invented by the famous “Benjamin Franklin” — was also a Pharmacist.
- Dr. Pepper, a carbonated soft drink was formulated by Brooklyn-born Pharmacist — “Charles Alderton” in Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store in Texas.
- A renowned Pharmacist “David Jack” — the leader of research developed major Asthma drugs.
- In 1804, a German Pharmacist named “Friedrich Wilhelm Adam Sertürner” discovered Morphine (the main alkaloid of Opium that acts directly on the Central Nervous system for decreasing pain).
- An English physicist and Chemist named “Joseph Swan” invented the classic light bulb known as Incandescent Light Bulb.
- An American Pharmacist “Charles Elmer Hires” (1851 - 1937) was the inventor of soft drink Hires root Beer.
- An American Pharmacist, James Vernor (1843 - 1927) was the inventor of Vernor’s Ginger ale.
- A Chinese Pharmacist “Hon Lik” invented Modern electronic Cigarettes, often termed e-cigarettes.
- “Jan Jozef Ignacy Lukasiewicz”, a Polish Pharmacist, built the world’s first modern oil refinery.
- “Hippolyte Mege - Mouries”, a French chemist was the inventor of Margarine.
- A German Chemist, “Felix Hoffman”, re-synthesized Diamorphine under Bayer trade name: Heroine.
- A German Chemist, “Johann Wolfgang Dobereiner”, was the inventor of the first lighter, known as Dobereiner’s Lamp.
- In the early 1990s, “Terry Williams”, a Young Pharmacist invented Mascara. It was a surprising invention where he mixed Vaseline with Mabel and hence named his company as “Maybelline”(Mabel + Vaseline).
- “Heinrich Nestle”, a Pharmacist invented Baby mixture by mixing cow’s milk, wheat flour, and sugar, which helped in saving many premature babies in the early 1800s.
“Accident is the name of all the greatest inventions in the world.”
Pharmacy is a noble profession where the professionals contribute much more to society apart from contributing in terms of science.
(image sources: google.com)
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