A 1866 medical thesis regarding the measurement of chloroform within blood marked the initial entry of Oswald Schmiedeberg into professional pharmacology. Born in 1838 within the Russian Empire, he established a career that spanned decades at the Imperial University of Dorpat and the University of Strasbourg, ultimately influencing the trajectory of the German pharmaceutical industry.
Academic Foundation and Early Training
Oswald Schmiedeberg was born in 1838 in Laidze, Courland. He was the son of Wilhelm Ludwig, a bailiff and later a forester, and Anna Lucie Bernard. His early education took place at a primary school in Permisküla and a gymnasium in Dorpat. He subsequently enrolled at the medical school of the Imperial University of Dorpat. In 1866, he completed his medical doctorate there, producing a thesis on the concentration of chloroform in blood. He remained at the institution as an assistant to Rudolf Buchheim until 1869, during which time he also spent one year researching alongside Carl Ludwig at the University of Leipzig.
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In 1872, Schmiedeberg became the first professor of pharmacology at the University of Strasbourg, a position he held for 46 years. His research focused on diverse chemical agents, including metals, hypnotics, and various venoms. In 1869, he demonstrated that muscarine affected the heart in a manner comparable to electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve. Working alongside his student Hans Horst Meyer, he identified glucuronic acid as a vital component in xenobiotic metabolism and cartilage structure. His investigations also included the study of hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, and collagen. Furthermore, he established the hypnotic efficacy of urethane.
Institutional Influence and Industry Impact
Schmiedeberg exerted significant influence on the development of the German pharmaceutical industry during the period preceding the Second World War. By training the majority of the European professors of his era, he ensured a widespread reach for his methodology. He authored over 200 scientific articles and books, including 'Grundriss der Arzneimittellehre' and 'Über die Pharmaka in der Ilias und Odyssee'. Alongside pathologists Bernhard Naunyn and Edwin Klebs, he co-founded the journal Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology. In 1911, he provided expert testimony during the United States v. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola trial.
Fast facts
- Born: 1838, Laidze
- Died: 1921, Baden-Baden
- Citizenship: Germany, Russian Empire
- Education: Imperial University of Dorpat
- Key Tenure: 46 years at University of Strasbourg
- Languages: German
- Membership: Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences
Questions readers ask
What was the significance of Schmiedeberg's muscarine research?
In 1869, he proved that muscarine produces physiological effects on the heart that mirror the stimulation of the vagus nerve.
How did he contribute to pharmaceutical education?
He served as a professor at the University of Strasbourg for 46 years, where he trained most of the influential European pharmacology professors of his time.
Achievements
- Held posts at Imperial University of Dorpat and University of Strasbourg
- Fields: pharmacology
