Honoring Dr. Percy Lavon Julian
Honoring Dr. Percy Lavon Julian
Alstede Farms celebrates Black History Month by paying homage to Dr. Percy Lavon Julian and his contributions to farming. Dr. Percy Lavon Julian was an American research chemist and entrepreneur who pursued outstanding achievements in the face of obstacles during his lifetime. Dr. Julian was a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from… Read More »
Alstede Farms celebrates Black History Month by paying homage to Dr. Percy Lavon Julian and his contributions to farming. Dr. Percy Lavon Julian was an American research chemist and entrepreneur who pursued outstanding achievements in the face of obstacles during his lifetime. Dr. Julian was a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants and was one of the first chemists to use plants for pharmaceuticals changing the industry as a whole. His research utilizing soybeans led to his publishing over 50 scientific papers featuring chemistry of plant alkaloids and sterols.
Dr. Julian lived from 1899-1975 and was responsible for synthesizing important medicinal compounds from abundant plant sources which made them more affordable allowing them to be mass produced thus making them more readily available and affordable to more people. Mr. Julian is most noted for his research on the synthesis of soybean sterols related to treating inflammatory health conditions which led to the innovation of the steroid drug industry’s production of corticosteroids. He also is noted for his research in protein extracted from soybeans which was ultimately used as a fire retardant saving thousands of soldiers lives in World War 2.
Julian was the first African American chemist inducted into the National Academy of Sciences and the USPS issued a commemorative stamp in his honor in 1993. We honor Dr. Julian for all of his achievements during his lifetime and for his amazing legacy to science agriculture that still impacts us all today. Thank you Dr. Julian for your advancements in agriculture and for highlighting agricultures importance in our world.
