frederick Belding power 1853–1927: pioneer pharmaceutical scientist

Heroes of pHarmacy
frederick Belding power
1853–1927: pioneer
pharmaceutical scientist
Dennis B. Worthen, phD
When Frederick Belding Power died
in 1927, the editor of the Journal of the
American Pharmaceutical Association
wrote that Power was “an honor to pharmacy
and an inspiration to scientists and
is entitled to a place in Pharmacy’s Hall
of Fame.” 1 A year earlier, Carl Alsberg,
who had succeeded Harvey Wiley as the
chief of the Bureau of Chemistry (today’s
Food and Drug Administration), wrote
that Power performed great service in
creating fundamental knowledge about
medicinal plants, was a force in industry
through his work with Wellcome Chemical
Research Laboratories, and was an
educator of first rank among scientists. 2
In 1924, Ivor Griffith, editor of the American
Journal of Pharmacy and later dean
and president of the Philadelphia College
of Pharmacy (PCP), reviewed Power’s
publications and noted that the “extent of
his work and his incalculable services to
his profession may be judged by surveying
this brilliant record of his scientific
contributions.” 3
Beginnings
Frederick Belding Power was born on
March 4, 1853, in Hudson, NY, the son of
Thomas and Caroline Belding Power. Educated
in a private school and the Hudson
Academy, he started working in a local
pharmacy when he was 13. After 5 years,
he obtained a position with Thomas Whitfield
in Chicago, with the intent to matriculate
at the Chicago College of Pharmacy.
However, the Great Fire of 1871 closed
the school soon after his arrival and he
opted to move to Philadelphia, where he
was immediately employed by Edward
Parrish, a leading pharmacist and chair
of pharmacy at PCP. 4 Upon Parrish’s
untimely death, Power was befriended
by John Michael Maisch and William
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Procter Jr. 5 Power enrolled in the college
and graduated with high honors and the
highest prize in chemistry in 1874. 6
Chemistry was an important science
for pharmacists to master. Most
early chemistry professors were trained
as physicians rather than in chemistry
itself. Power was among the few early-
American trained pharmacists to travel
to Europe to undertake graduate work. 7
In 1876, he enrolled at the University of
Strassburg and served as an assistant to
Friedrich A. Flückiger, who is generally
regarded as the father of modern pharmacognosy.
Power concentrated his work
on plant chemistry, receiving his PhD in
1880; he returned to the United States
and accepted the position of professor of
analytical chemistry at PCP. During his
tenure in Philadelphia, he established a
long-term relationship with Dr. Frederick
Hoffmann and coauthored A Manual
of Chemical Analysis. In 1883, he left
Philadelphia to accept the directorship
of the Department of Pharmacy at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison.
In December 1883, Power married
Mary Van Loan Miggs. The couple had
three children. The youngest child died
shortly after his birth in 1894, and Mary
Power died several weeks later. 8 Frederick
Power died in Washington, DC, on
March 26, 1927, and was buried in Hudson,
NY.
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Wisconsin
Enabling legislation fostered by the
Wisconsin Pharmaceutical Association
resulted in Wisconsin becoming the second
state university to establish a pharmacy
program; the University of Michigan
was first. 9 Power, the first PhD to head an
American college of pharmacy, became
director and professor of pharmacy and
materia medica. The Wisconsin program
incorporated elements from both the
Michigan and PCP programs in the new
curriculum, which covered 2 years of
full-time (September to March) courses.
Students were required to complete laboratory
courses as well as the more traditional
courses in pharmacy and materia
medica. Prerequisites for graduation
from Wisconsin included 4 years of practical
experience (unlike Michigan) and
passing a practical pharmacy examination
administered by pharmacist members
of the Wisconsin Pharmaceutical
Association. 10
Power’s inaugural address to the
Wisconsin Pharmaceutical Association
in 1884 provided a perspective on his
vision for the educated pharmacist “to
perform certain duties relating to public
hygiene ... but also to enter upon fields of
research.” 11 He called particular attention
to the phytochemistry, or pharmacognosy,
of the local vegetation and the
close relationship of chemistry and pharmacy.
Power had time to conduct research,
as shown by a steady stream of publications
on specimens important to pharmacy
and medicine such as Hydrastis canadensis,
wild cherry bark, and hydrastine. He
also translated Flückiger’s monograph on
the cinchona barks and The Principles of
Pharmacognosy by Flückiger and Alexander
Tschirch. The latter was the primary
a Note on This series
Each installment in this series provides a sketch of a hero of
pharmacy, including insights into the hero’s life and his or her
contributions to the profession. JAPhA publishes this column in
recognition of the men and women who led the efforts to make
pharmacy the respected profession it is today.
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association

source for this basic pharmaceutical science
for decades. The pharmacy program
continued at a steady pace, with enrollment
increasing from 27 to 63 during
the 1891–1892 school year. 12 Power’s
laboratory work with students was productive
and of high quality. 7 Power delivered
the 1893 graduation address, during
which he spoke of the role of scientific
and technical knowledge imparted by a
pharmacy education and argued that this
was the way to weed out incompetents so
that “the quacks, the pettifoggers would
disappear.” 13 In addition to his teaching
and research at the university, Power
also contributed the lessons in chemistry
and physics to a series under the title
National Institute of Pharmacy, published
by G.P. Engelhard and the Western Druggist.
This early distance-learning program
was instituted by Carl Hallberg and
other faculty from the Chicago College of
Pharmacy. 14
Power resigned from the University
of Wisconsin in 1892 because of inadequate
salary. 9 He accepted the position
of Scientific Director for Fritzsche Brothers,
which was the American branch of
Schimmel & Company of Leipzig, Germany.
Flückiger had worked with Schimmel,
which may well have been a factor
in Power’s acceptance of the position.
In his 4 years with the company, Power
published a series of studies dealing with
essential oils important to pharmacists
and the perfumers’ art, including oils
of wintergreen, bay, peppermint, and
clove.
Wellcome chemical
research Laboratories
In 1896, the industrial pharmacist
Henry Wellcome established his chemical
research laboratories in London and
convinced his old PCP classmate, Power,
to accept the position as its first director.
Wellcome stated that he had made
the “most important, single appointment
so far in the history of Burroughs
Wellcome—that of Frederick Power as
the firm’s chief scientific chemist and
researcher into the unknown.” 15 At the
dinner for Power at the opening of the
Heroes of pHarmacy
Frederick Belding Power (1853–1927) in his phytochemical laboratory, 1916–1919, at
the Bureau of Chemistry in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1924, he was the first
pharmacist elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
laboratories, Wellcome noted that the
work would be “entirely separate and
distinct from all their business departments
... The work would be carried out
on no selfish lines. It would be controlled
and dictated with the highest regard
for science.” 16 The laboratories started
slowly, and initial efforts were directed
at production and quality control for the
manufacturing plant. 17 By 1899, however,
Power was in his own building with a staff
of more than 20. 18
Wellcome had a long-standing interest
in tropical disease. Chaulmoogra oil
had a long tradition of use for leprosy, and
in 1904, Power undertook a study to identify
the source of the oil and its chemical
makeup. Three trees were identified as
sources of chaulmoogric acid and hydnocarpic
acid, which became the major
treatments for leprosy until the advent of
sulfones in the 1940s. 19
Power and the Chemical Research
Laboratories exhibited results of its work
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Heroes of pHarmacy
in a number of international expositions.
From 1904 through 1911, the exhibitions
won medals in St. Louis, MO (1904);
Liège, Belgium (1905); Milan, Italy,
and London (1906); Brussels, Belgium
(1910); and Turin, Italy (1911). 5
Power’s research was interrupted
when World War I began. 20 Power had
passed his 60th birthday and wanted to
be closer to family; he resigned from the
laboratories and returned to the United
States in December 1914. 21 In the period
in which he directed the laboratories,
168 papers covering a wide range of topics
were published 18 ; 75 of these were
authored or coauthored by Power—a
“record of accomplishment in pharmaceutical
and plant chemistry that is
almost without parallel.” 5
american pharmaceutical
association
Power joined the American Pharmaceutical
(now Pharmacists) Association
(APhA) in 1872; his application was
signed by his professors at PCP, Edward
Parrish and John Maisch. 6 His thesis on
Podophyllum was originally published in
the American Journal of Pharmacy. He
returned to this line of inquiry while in
Strassburg, and the resulting publication
in the Proceedings of the American Pharmaceutical
Association was awarded the
Ebert Prize for publication of scientific
research in 1877. Power received two
additional Ebert prizes, one in 1903 for
his work on Derris uliginosa and another
in 1907 for Eriodictyon. When the report
on Derris—an East Indian fish poison
that gained usage as an insecticide—was
introduced, Power was identified as an
active, foreign member of the Association
whose research was praised as “very full
in every respect.” 22
product standards
Therapeutics and materia medica of
the late 19th and early 20th centuries
were dominated by botanical products;
in 1900, more than 50% of the items in
the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP)
remained botanical in origin. 23 The challenge
for pharmacists and manufacturers
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alike was the standardization of products.
The responsibility for establishing standards
in the United States had devolved
to USP, which was revised on a decennial
basis. In 1890, Power served on the USP
Committee of Revision and was responsible
for a large part of the work. 6
By the 1900 USP revision, Power
was in London at the Wellcome Chemical
Research Laboratories. His interest in
standards was evident in his comments
on the newest edition of the British Pharmacopoeia.
He reviewed the chemistry
components, concluded that there were
far more errors than appropriate for such
a work, and offered a series of suggestions
to address the more troublesome
problems. 24 In 1902, he represented the
United States at the International Conference
for the Unification of Formulae
of Potent Medicines in Brussels and
reported on the success of the deliberations
and recommendations. 25 In 1920,
Power was elected as the first vice president
of the USP Convention, reflecting his
return to the United States and influence
within the Department of Agriculture.
Department of agriculture
When Power returned to the United
States in 1914, he was 60 years old but
far from ready to retire permanently.
After a long rest, Power completed the
requirements and accepted the post of
director of the newly formed phytochemical
laboratory in the Bureau of Chemistry
of the United States Department of Agriculture.
26 In 1916, he articulated the purpose
of the laboratory, noting the need to
explore native plants, not only for scientific
interest but also for “the considerable
number of substances which would
be found to possess medicinal value.” 27
Power continued a productive
research career and remained with the
bureau after the mandatory retirement
age of 70. In reflecting on Power’s work,
Carl Alsberg remarked that “he soon
became one of the strongest influences
in the bureau for fostering that sound
scholarship and research spirit.” 2
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Honors and legacy
In 1908, the University of Wisconsin
awarded Power an honorary doctor of
laws degree, and in 1913, his alma mater,
PCP, conferred the honorary degree of
master in pharmacy. In 1913, the Pharmaceutical
Society of London awarded
Power the Hanbury Medal. He was only
the second American to receive the
award, the first being German-born John
Michael Maisch; he earlier joined pharmacognosists
Flückiger and Tschirch
in being honored for high excellence in
the promotion of original research in the
natural history and chemistry of drugs. In
1921, Wellcome presented a gold medal
to Power for his services as the director
of the Chemical Laboratories. The presentation
was made by the Secretary of
the Smithsonian Institution, Charles Wolcott,
who remarked on Power’s research
ability and his influence “in raising the
standards of our pharmacopoeias.” 28 In
1922, the Swiss Pharmaceutical Society
presented Power with the Flückiger Gold
Medal. 5 In 1924, he was elected a member
of the National Academy of Sciences,
the first from the Bureau of Chemistry
and probably the first pharmacist so
honored.
In a personal memorial of Power, Louise
Power Heimke described her father
“as a boy shy and sensitive; in manhood
combining a gentle, sympathetic, and
kindly nature with virility and strength
of character, he shed about him a benign
and helpful influence.” 29 Power was a prototype
for the generations of pharmaceutical
scientists who followed—“One of the
greatest scientific men growing out of the
ranks of American pharmacy.” 7 His thorough
research and writing established
standards of excellence in all areas of
endeavor—academia, industry, and public
service.
Dennis B. Worthen, PhD
Lloyd Scholar
Lloyd Library and Museum
Cincinnati, OH
doi: 10.1331/JAPhA.2008.08527
The author gratefully acknowledges Glenn
Sonnedecker and John Parascandola
for their reviews of this article.
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association

The images used in this article are from the
APhA Foundation Archives and were
selected by George Griffenhagen.
references
1. Anonymous. Obituary: Dr. Frederick
Belding Power. J Am Pharm Assoc.
1927;16:380–1.
2. Alsberg CL. Frederick Belding Power.
Industrial and Engineering Chemistry.
1926;18:103.
3. Griffith I. A half century of research in
plant chemistry: a chronological record
of the scientific contributions of
Frederick Belding Power. Am J Pharm.
1924;96:601–14.
4. Worthen DB. Edward Parrish
(1822–1872): pioneer ethicist. J Am
Pharm Assoc. 2005;45:758–61.
5. Browne CA. Frederick Belding Power.
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1928;11(2):iii–vi.
6. Eberle EG. Frederick Belding Power
PhD, LLD, FCS. J Am Pharm Assoc.
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7. Sonnedecker G. The scientific background
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11. Power FB. The development of chemistry
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12. Buckner C, Connors KA, Parascandola
J, et al. The University of Wisconsin
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14. Kremers E, Urdang G. History of pharmacy.
2nd ed. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott;
1951:300–1.
15. James RR. Henry Wellcome. London:
Hodder & Stoughton; 1994:188.
16. Wellcome H. Dinner given to Dr. Frederick
B. Power on the occasion of the
founding of the Wellcome Chemical Research
Laboratories. London: The Wellcome
Chemical Research Laboratories;
1900:[2–3 of unpaginated section].
17. James RR. Henry Wellcome. London:
Hodder & Stoughton; 1994:207.
18. Parascandola J. Chemistry and commerce:
F.B. Power and the Wellcome
Chemical Research Laboratories.
Pharm Hist (Lond). 2005;35:54–8.
19. Parascandola J. Chaulmoogra oil and
the treatment of leprosy. Pharm Hist.
2003;45:47–57.
Miles Canyon • Whitehorse, Yukon Territory • July 3, 2007 • Cathy Keil
Heroes of pHarmacy
20. Phillips M. Frederick Belding Power, most
distinguished American phytochemist.
J Chem Educ. 1954;31:258–61.
21. James RR. Henry Wellcome. London:
Hodder & Stoughton; 1994:326.
22. Caspari C. Introduction. Proceedings of
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1902;50:296, 332.
23. Flannery MA. For a “voluptuous glow
of health and vigor”: medical botany
in Kentucky, 1792-1910. J Ky Acad Sci.
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24. Power FB. Some observations and suggestions
relating to the chemistry of the
British Pharmacopoeia. London: Wellcome
Chemical Research Laboratories.
1900;(no. 12):1–24.
25. Power FB. The International Conference
for the Unification of Formulae
of Potent Medicaments. Am J Pharm.
1903;75:1–13.
26. Heimke LP. Notes upon the life and
achievements of Frederick Belding
Power by his daughter. In: Kremers
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the History of Pharmacy, University of
Wisconsin–Madison. 1927;A2 File:38.
27. Power FB. The aims and developments
of phytochemical research. Am J
Pharm. 1917;89:97–110.
28. Anonymous. Presentation to Dr.
Frederick Belding Power. Science.
1921;NS53:570–1.
29. Heimke LP. Notes upon the life and
achievements of Frederick Belding
Power by his daughter. In: Kremers
Reference Files. American Institute of
the History of Pharmacy, University of
Wisconsin–Madison. 1927;A2 File:53.
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