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The Story of Percy Lavon JulianAgainst All Odds
James G. Ravin, MD, MS;
Eve J. Higginbotham, MD
Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(5):690-692.
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INTRODUCTION
The only thing that has enabled me to keep doing the creative work was the constant determination: Take heart! Go farther on.—Percy Lavon Julian1
The persistent drive to attain a goal, no matter how difficult, has been essential for many discoveries. This straightforward concept is exemplified in the career of the black chemist Percy Lavon Julian, PhD (1899-1975) (Figure), whose discoveries had a significant effect on the treatment of persons with glaucoma and inflammatory diseases. Among other achievements, he was the first person to synthesize physostigmine (eserine), which was the first medication that was effective in treating glaucoma, and he constructed a method to mass-produce cortisone.
Figure appears in full text version.
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Figure. Percy Lavon Julian US postal stamp.
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Physostigmine, which is a cholinesterase inhibitor, was first described in the ophthalmology literature by Laqueur in 1876.2 Shortly afterward, pilocarpine was shown to be useful . . . [Full Text of this Article]
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Author Affiliations: Division of Ophthalmology, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, Ohio (Dr Ravin); and Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Higginbotham).
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