Louis Lewin (9 November 1850 - 1 December 1929) was a German

pharmacologist Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemic ...

. In 1887 he received his first sample of the

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

from

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

-based physician John Raleigh Briggs (1851-1907), and later published the first methodical analysis of it, causing a variant to be named ''Anhalonium lewinii'' in his honor. Lewin was born in Tuchel,

West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (german: Provinz Westpreußen; csb, Zôpadné Prësë; pl, Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and 1878 to 1920. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 177 ...

. He received his education at the gymnasium and the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

(

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...

1876). The two years following his graduation he spent at

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, in the laboratories of von Voit and Pettenkofer. Returning to Berlin in 1878, he became an assistant at the pharmacological institute of the university, and in 1881 he was admitted to the medical faculty as '' Privatdozent''. In 1897 he was finally appointed professor.Macht DI. Louis Lewin: pharmacologist, toxicologist, medical historian. Ann Med Hist 1931; 3: 179–194. Louis Lewin's book "Die Nebenwirkungen der Arzneimittel" (1881) deals with the borderline between the pharmacological and the toxicological action of drugs with the untoward or side-effects of all kinds of medicaments. It was the first book of its kind. Another of his important books was "Phantastica" (1924), which began an era of ethnobotany that continues to the present day. Lewin mentioned in his book "Gifte und Vergiftungen" (1929) the causal connection between dental amalgam fillings and illness.Lewin L. Gifte und Vergiftungen. Berlin: Verlag von Georg Stilke, 1929. One of his famous patients were the well-known chemistry professor

Alfred Stock Alfred Stock (July 16, 1876 – August 12, 1946) was a German inorganic chemist. He did pioneering research on the hydrides of boron and silicon, coordination chemistry, mercury, and mercury poisoning. The German Chemical Society's Alfred-Stoc ...

(1876-1946), who suffered from mercury poisoning due to occupational exposure. Lewin informed him also about mercury exposure from dental amalgams. In 1926 in an article in Zeitschrift für Angewandte Chemie (Journal of Applied Chemistry), Stock claimed that released mercury from amalgam fillings caused poisoning and demanded the consumption stopped. This triggered a sharp and intense debate in Germany.Bjørklund G
The history of dental amalgam (in Norwegian)
Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 1989; 109: 3582-3585. Lewin died in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, where a street and the nearby underground train station were named in honour of Louis Lewin.

Drug classification

One of Lewin's most enduring tasks was to create a system of classification of psychoactive drugs and plants based on their pharmacologic action. His original categories were: * Inebriantia ( Inebriants such as alcohol or

ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again be ...

) * Excitantia ( Stimulants such as

Khat Khat or qat ( ''ch’at''; Oromo: ''Jimaa'', so, qaad, khaad, khat or chat, ar, القات ''al-qāt'') is a flowering plant native to eastern and southern Africa. Khat contains the alkaloid cathinone, a stimulant, which is said to cause e ...

or Amphetamine) * Euphorica (

Euphoriant Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and danci ...

s and Narcotics such as Heroin) * Hypnotica (

Tranquilizer A tranquilizer is a drug that is designed for the treatment of anxiety, fear, tension, agitation, and disturbances of the mind, specifically to reduce states of anxiety and tension. Etymology Tranquilizer, as a term, was first used by F.F. Yonk ...

s such as Kava) * Phantastica (

Hallucinogen Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorize ...

s or

Entheogen Entheogens are psychoactive substances that induce alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior for the purposes of engendering spiritual development or otherwiseRätsch, Christian, ''The Encyclopedia of Psychoac ...

s such as Peyote or

Ayahuasca AyahuascaPronounced as in the UK and in the US. Also occasionally known in English as ''ayaguasca'' ( Spanish-derived), ''aioasca'' (Brazilian Portuguese-derived), or as ''yagé'', pronounced or . Etymologically, all forms but ''yagé'' desce ...

)

Works

Lewin was a prolific writer. Among his many essays may be mentioned: *"Über Morphium-Intoxication" -- ''On Morphium intoxication'' (in "Deutsche Zeitschrift für Praktische Medizin", 1874) *"Experimentelle Untersuchungen über die Wirkungen des Aconitin auf das Herz" -- ''Experimental analysis on the effects of

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

on the

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...

'' (in "Centralblatt für die Medizinische Wissenschaft", 1875) *"Über die Verwertung des Alkohols in fieberhaften Krankheiten" -- ''On the application of alcohol with feverish maladies'' (in "Deutsches Archiv für Klinische Medizin", 1876) *"Über maximale Dosen der Arzneimittel" -- ''On maximum doses of medicaments'' (in "Transactions of the International Medical Congress", 1887) *"Über allgemeine Hautvergiftung durch Petroleum" -- ''On the broad

eczema Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can ...

caused by

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

'' (in

Rudolf Virchow Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow (; or ; 13 October 18215 September 1902) was a German physician, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist, writer, editor, and politician. He is known as "the father of modern pathology" and as the founder ...

's "Archiv,", 1888) *"Über Anhalonium Lewinii und andere Cacteen" -- ''On

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

and other cacti'' (in "Archiv für Experimentelle Pathologie und Pharmakologie", 1894) *"Die Behandlung der Lepra" -- ''The treatment of

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

'' (in "Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift", 1898) *"Die Untersuchungen von Blutflecken" -- ''Analysis of

hemangioma A hemangioma or haemangioma is a usually benign vascular tumor derived from blood vessel cell types. The most common form, seen in infants, is an infantile hemangioma, known colloquially as a "strawberry mark", most commonly presenting on the ski ...

'' (in "Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift", 1899) *"Die Vergiftungen in Betrieben" -- ''Intoxications at business'' (in "Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift", 1890) Lewin is also the author of the following books: *"Die Nebenwirkungen der Arzneimittellehre" -- '' Adverse reactions of pharmacology'' (Berlin, 1881) *"Die Arzneimittel und ihre Dosierung : zum Gebrauche für Vorlesungen und die ärztliche Praxis" . Grosser, Berlin 188
Digital edition
by the University and State Library Düsseldorf *"Lehrbuch der Toxikologie : für Aerzte, Studirende und Apotheker ; mit 8 Holzschnitten u. 1 Taf." . Urban & Schwarzenberg, Wien .a.188
Digital edition
by the University and State Library Düsseldorf *"Über Piper Methysticum (Kawa Kawa)" -- ''On

Piper methysticum Kava or kava kava ('' Piper methysticum'': Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Greek 'intoxicating') is a crop of the Pacific Islands. The name ''kava'' is from Tongan and Marquesan, meaning 'bitter'; other names for kava include ''ʻawa'' (Hawaiʻi) ...

'' (Berlin, 1886) *"Über Areca Catechu, Chavica Betle, und das Betelkauen" -- ''On

Areca catechu ''Areca catechu'' is a species of palm which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. The palm is believed to have originated in the Philippines, but is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in so ...

Piper betle The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plan ...

and the chewing of Betel leaves'' (Stuttgart, 1889)
Digital edition
by the University and State Library Düsseldorf) *"Die Fruchtabtreibung durch Gifte und andere Mittel" -- ''

Abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

by poisons and other remedies'' (Berlin) *"Die Pfeilgifte : historische und experimentelle Untersuchungen" . Reimer, Berlin 189
Digital edition
by the University and State Library Düsseldorf *"Lehrbuch der Toxikologie" . Urban & Schwarzenberg, Wien .a.2., vollst. neubearb. Aufl. 189
Digital edition
by the University and State Library Düsseldorf *"Die Gifte in der Weltgeschichte : toxikologische, allgemeinverständliche Untersuchungen der historischen Quellen" . Springer, Berlin 192
Digital edition
by the University and State Library Düsseldorf

References

External links

Louis Lewin on the Jewish Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Louis 1850 births 1929 deaths People from Tuchola People from West Prussia People from the Kingdom of Prussia Scientists from Berlin 19th-century German Jews German pharmacologists Psychedelic drug researchers