Black History MonthBlack History Month is here and we are thrilled to share the story of how African-American Percy Julian “Defied The Odds” to become a famous chemist. In 1935, in Minshall Laboratory, DePauw alumnus Percy L. Julian (1899-1975) first synthesized the drug physostigmine, previously only available from its natural source, the Calabar bean. His pioneering research led to the process that made physostigmine readily available for the treatment of glaucoma. It was the first of Julian’s lifetime of achievements in the chemical synthesis of commercially important natural products. Click the Black History Month link to view more richness of Black History in America.
