This Black History Month, the Pharmacology Science Communication Society would like to focus on African Americans who have contributed to the scientific community, and consequently improved life as we know it. To initiate this recognition, I’d like to introduce the story of the chemist Percy Julian, who was a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of physostigmine, synthetic hormones, and cortisone.
Percy Lavon Julian was born in 1899 in Montgomery, Alabama, and was the grandson of enslaved people. As we know, this era was especially cruel to African Americans as they faced prejudice and harsh racism in virtually all aspects of life. For one, high school was not offered to African Americans at the time, so Julian only attended classes until the eighth grade. Determined to continue his education, he enrolled as a sub-freshman at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he completed high-school courses concurrently with freshman courses. In an amazing feat, Dr. Julian majored in chemistry and graduated at the top of his class in 1920.
After graduation, Julian taught chemistry at Fisk University until he received a scholarship to attend Harvard University in 1923 to finish his Master’s degree. Unfortunately, the university would not allow him to pursue his doctorate. In spite of this, he traveled for several years and taught at historically Black colleges West Virginia State College and Howard University. In 1931, he obtained a PhD at the University of Vienna in Austria by studying the chemistry of medicinal plants.
Ultimately, he and his Viennese colleague Josef Pikl continued their research back at DePauw University, where they accomplished the first total synthesis of physostigmine. This active principle of the Calabar bean is an alkaloid, which eases the constriction of outflow channels from the eye’s aqueous humor to ease high pressure caused by glaucoma. His paper, entitled “Studies in the Indole Series V. The Complete Synthesis of Physostigmine (Eserine),”explained how Dr. Julian synthesized physostigmine, and is undeniably the most significant chemical research publication to come from DePauw. Even though he more than proved himself as a chemist, the university refused to make him a full-time professor because of his race.
Later, Julian obtained stigmasterol as a byproduct of physostigmine synthesis. This byproduct was also obtainable from soybeans, and could be used in the production of sex hormones such as progesterone which aided pregnant women in avoiding miscarriages. He was then hired by the Glidden Company in Chicago as their director of research in the Soya Division, where he discovered new ways to make products from soybeans. There, he invented Aero-Foam, which uses soy protein to put out oil and gas fires and was used widely in World War II. Additionally, he formulated an innovative industrial process to convert stigmasterol to progesterone in bulk, as well as other sex hormones.
In 1948, Julian was compelled to join the competition to synthesize cortisone inexpensively. Cortisone, which is a cortical hormone of the adrenal gland, had significant effects on rheumatoid arthritis. In 1949, he successfully developed Substance S, in which he was able to synthesize both cortisone and hydrocortisone. Dr. Julian left Glidden in 1953 and established his own laboratory, Julian Laboratories, in 1954. In 1961, he sold the company and became one of the first black millionaires, later founding the Julian Research Institute which he ran for the rest of his life.
Percy Julian became the first Black chemist elected to the National Academy of the Sciences in 1973. He was posthumously elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 1999 his synthesis of physostigmine was recognized by the American Chemical Society as “one of the top 25 achievements in the history of American chemistry.”
He was socially active in groups seeking to advance conditions for African Americans, and was widely recognized as a steadfast advocate for human rights. In fact, he helped found the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and also served on several boards for related organizations and universities. Up until his death from liver cancer in 1975, Julian continued his private research studies and served as a consultant to major pharmaceutical companies. His compassion and dedication to scientific research was more than commendable, and serves as an inspiration to scientists (and future scientists!) all over the world.
References
https://www.biography.com/scientists/percy-julian
https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/julian.html
https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/percy-lavon-julian
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/julian/time-nf.html
http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/deceased-members/20001466.html
https://acswebcontent.acs.org/percy_julian/index.html
https://www.naacpldf.org/