History of Pharmacology: U.S., 1865 to 1900

The history of pharmacology in the United States is a conglomeration of new pharmaceutical ideas and innovations drawn from Native American medicine, newly discovered plants in the New World, and advancements shared by the Europeans. This led to new, experimental herbal supplements and home remedies, as well as new patent medicines.

The birth of organic chemistry occurred in 1828, when Friedrich Wöhler synthesized urea from inorganic substances, refuting the vital force theory. The birth of pharmacology is not as easy to pinpoint. In the early 19th century, physiologists performed many pharmacologic studies, but pharmacology is said to have emerged as a separate science when Rudolf Buchheim was appointed professor of pharmacology in 1847 at the University of Dorpat in Estonia. In the United States, the first ...