Friedrich Jacob Merck (18 February 1621—1678) was a German

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

and a member of the

Merck family The Merck family is a German nobility, German noble family of industrialists and bankers, known for establishing the world's oldest pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA, Merck, its American former subsidiary Merck & Co. (MSD), which is now an inde ...

. He was the founder of the world's oldest

pharmaceutical Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

company, now known as the

Merck Group The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German Multinational corporation, multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and a presence in 66 countries. The group include ...

, which was established in 1668.Merck KGaA (Editor): ''„Was der Mensch thun kann...“ – Ein Streifzug durch die Geschichte des pharmazeutisch-chemischen Unternehmens Merck.'' September 2003

Biography

Friedrich Jacob Merck was the son of Johann Merck (1573–1642), an innkeeper from

Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a town#Germany, city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding Schweinfurt (district), district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultur ...

who ran the ''Zum Schwarzen Bären'' inn and who was a member of the city council. He did an apprenticeship in the Ratsapotheke in his hometown. He first owned a pharmacy in

Wesselburen Wesselburen () is a small town in the district of Dithmarschen in the German Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein. It is situated near the North Sea coast, approximately west of Heide. Wesselburen is part of the '' Amt'' ("collective municipali ...

, before moving to

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

. In 1668 he acquired the second city pharmacy there, the ''Engel-Apotheke'', which became the start of the Merck company. Friedrich Jacob Merck died in 1678 without any descendants. He had chosen his nephew (1647–1715) as his successor.F. Ebner and L. Lerch: ''Von der Merckschen Engel-Apotheke zum pharmazeutisch-chemischen Großbetrieb''. E. Merck AG, 1968

Brothers and sisters

At Friedrich Jacob Merck was many siblings from his father's three marriages: * Johann Jacob Merck (1599–1599) * Anna Dorothea Merck (1600–1633) * Johann Hartmann Merck (1602–1672) * Anna Cordula Merck (1606–1611) * Anna Margaretha Merck (1611–1611) * Georg Merck (1611–1683) – pharmacist and father of pharmacist Georg Friedrich Merck. * Johann Christoph Merck (1614–1679) * Anna Rosina Merck (1616–1616) * Anna Maria Merck (1618–1681), in 1641 got married Johann Georg Biegmann (1613–1671). * Johannes Merck (1623–1684) * Amalia Elisabetha Merck (1628–1666), in 1649 got married Michael Engelhardt (1607–1675).

References

External links

Merck website
Merck Group people 1621 births 1678 deaths German pharmacists Scientists from Darmstadt People from Schweinfurt Date of death missing Place of birth missing Place of death missing Pharmaceutical company founders 17th-century German scientists {{Germany-med-bio-stub

Biography

Brothers and sisters

See also

References

External links