Arthur Carl Wilhelm Heffter (15 June 1859, in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

– 8 February 1925, in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

) was a German

pharmacologist Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between ...

and chemist. He was the first chairman of the German Society of Pharmacologists, and was largely responsible for the first ''Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology''. He isolated

mescaline Mescaline, also known as mescalin or mezcalin, and in chemical terms 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine, is a natural product, naturally occurring psychedelic drug, psychedelic alkaloid, protoalkaloid of the substituted phenethylamine class, found ...

from the

peyote The peyote (; ''Lophophora williamsii'' ) is a small, spineless cactus which contains psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl (), meaning "caterpillar cocoon", from a root , "to glisten". p. ...

cactus in 1897, the first such isolation of a naturally occurring

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

substance in pure form. In addition, he conducted experiments on its effects by comparing the effects of peyote and mescaline on himself.

Biography

Arthur Heffter was born on 15 June 1859 in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. He studied

natural sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

and later medicine, earning a doctorate in chemistry in 1883 under chemist Wilhelm Limpricht. He spent two years at the

University of Rostock The University of Rostock () is a public university located in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Founded in 1419, it is the third-oldest university in Germany. It is the oldest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Se ...

in the Institute for Pharmacology and Physiological Chemistry before becoming an assistant to

Oswald Schmiedeberg Johann Ernst Oswald Schmiedeberg (10 October 1838 – 12 July 1921) was a Baltic German pharmacologist. In 1866 he earned his medical doctorate from the University of Dorpat with a thesis concerning the measurement of chloroform in blood, before ...

at the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. Founded in the 16th century by Johannes Sturm, it was a center of intellectual life during ...

, one of the leading figures in early pharmacology. Heffter held academic positions at several institutions, including the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

and the

University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...

in Switzerland, where he contributed to experimental pharmacology and

medical education Medical education is vocational education, education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, including the initial training to become a physician (i.e., medical school and internship (medical), internship) and additional trainin ...

. In

, he was appointed director of the Pharmacological Institute and served in multiple advisory roles related to public health and pharmaceutical policy. His scientific work included studies on the excretion of

toxic metals Metal toxicity or metal poisoning is the toxic effect of certain metals that accumulate in the environment and damage ecosystems, plants and animals, including human health. Environmental pollution with heavy metals can result in contaminatio ...

such as mercury and

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...

, investigations into

cardiac glycosides Cardiac glycosides are a class of organic compounds that increase the output force of the heart and decrease its rate of contractions by inhibiting the cellular sodium-potassium ATPase pump. Their beneficial medical uses include treatments for ...

including digitalis, and the development of analytical methods for isolating active compounds from

medicinal plants Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including Plant defense against h ...

. Heffter was also active in pharmaceutical regulation. He served on the Prussian Pharmacopoeia Commission and the Imperial Health Office, where he helped shape early efforts at drug standardization and evaluation. Heffter’s early work isolating and studying

preceded subsequent research into structurally related compounds like

psilocybin Psilocybin, also known as 4-phosphoryloxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (4-PO-DMT), is a natural product, naturally occurring tryptamine alkaloid and Investigational New Drug, investigational drug found in more than List of psilocybin mushroom ...

, which also interact with serotonergic systems. His regulatory work, along with his scientific contributions, positioned him as an influential figure in the development of modern pharmacology in

. Heffter contributed to the early volumes of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, a reference work that has been cited in medical literature. The

Heffter Research Institute The Heffter Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes research with classic hallucinogens and Psychedelic drug, psychedelics, predominantly psilocybin, to contribute to a greater understanding of the mind and to allevi ...

, named after him, supports research into the therapeutic use of psychedelics. He also published monographs on subjects such as lead poisoning in painters and approaches to drug discovery, reflecting his involvement in public health and pharmaceutical research (see below).

Works

* ''Die chronische Bleivergiftung im Maler-Gewerbe''. .l.190
Digital edition
by the

University and State Library Düsseldorf The University and State Library Düsseldorf (, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of the three State Libraries of North Rhine-Westphalia. ...

. * ''Die Auffindung von Arzneimitteln''. Hirschwald, Berlin 191
Digital edition
by the

References

External links

About: Dr. Arthur Heffter

Arthur Heffter
Deutschland Databank

German Digital Register

– The Heffter Institute Website * *
About Dr. Arthur Heffter – Heffter Research Institute
German pharmacologists 1859 births 1925 deaths Psychedelic drug researchers Psychedelic drug advocates {{Germany-med-bio-stub

Biography

Works

See also

References

External links