Philipp Lorenz Geiger (29 August 1785 in Freinsheim – 19 January 1836 in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

) 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

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

known for his work with plant

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

s. From the age of 14 he worked as an apprentice pharmacist in Adelsheim, followed by pharmacy training as an assistant in Heidelberg,

Rastatt Rastatt () is a town with a Baroque core, District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 51,000 (2022). Rastatt was an ...

and

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

. Around 1811 he took over management of a pharmacy in

Lörrach Lörrach () is a city in southwest Germany, in the valley of the Wiese, close to the French and the Swiss borders. It is the district seat of the district of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg. It is the home of a number of large employers, inclu ...

, then from 1814 to 1821, was associated with the pharmacy at the

University of Heidelberg Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...

. In the meantime he obtained his PhD (1817) and

habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

(1818). In 1824 he was named an associate professor, an appointment that was made against the will of

Leopold Gmelin Leopold Gmelin (2 August 1788 – 13 April 1853) was a German chemist. Gmelin was a professor at the University of Heidelberg. He worked on the Potassium ferricyanide, red prussiate and created Gmelin's test, and wrote his ''Handbook of Chemistry ...

, a professor of chemistry at Heidelberg.Geiger, Philipp Lorenz
In:

Neue Deutsche Biographie (''NDB''; Literal translation, literally ''New German Biography'') is a Biography, biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 27 volumes published thus far co ...

(NDB). Band 6, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1964, , S. 147 f. With Ludwig Hesse, he isolated the alkaloids

atropine Atropine is a tropane alkaloid and anticholinergic medication used to treat certain types of nerve agent and pesticide poisonings as well as some types of slow heart rate, and to decrease saliva production during surgery. It is typically give ...

aconitine Aconitine is an alkaloid toxin produced by various plant species belonging to the genus ''Aconitum'' (family Ranunculaceae), commonly known by the names wolfsbane and monkshood. Aconitine is notorious for its toxic properties. Structure and rea ...

colchicine Colchicine is a medication used to prevent and treat gout, to treat familial Mediterranean fever and Behçet's disease, and to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction. The American College of Rheumatology recommends colchicine, nonstero ...

and hyoscyamine.Kremers and Urdang's History of Pharmacy
by Edward Kremers, Glenn Sonnedecker In 1831 he was the first to obtain coniine in a pure state.

Published works

From 1824 to 1836 he was editor of the journal "''Magazin für Pharmacie und die dahin einschlagenden Wissenschaften''" (volumes 7–36). Also, he was the author of the first volume of the "''Pharmacopoeia universalis''", its second volume being written in conjunction with

Karl Friedrich Mohr Karl Friedrich Mohr (November 4, 1806 – September 28, 1879) was a German chemist famous for his early statement of the principle of the conservation of energy. Ammonium iron(II) sulfate, (NH4)2Fe(SO4)2.6H2O, is named Mohr's salt after him. Life ...

. Other published works by Geiger include: * ''Pharmaceutische Botanik''; with

Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (14 February 1776 – 16 March 1858) was a prolific Germany, German botanist, physician, zoologist, and natural philosopher. He was a contemporary of Goethe and was born within the lifetime of Carl Li ...

, (2nd edition, 2 volumes, 1839–40). * ''Pharmaceutische Zoologie'', (2nd edition, 1839). * ''Handbuch der Chemie : mit Rücksicht auf Pharmacie'', with Justus Liebig, (5th edition, 2 volumes, 1843).HathiTrust Digital Library
published works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geiger, Philipp Lorenz 1785 births 1836 deaths Academic staff of Heidelberg University People from Bad Dürkheim (district) German pharmacists 19th-century German chemists