Norman Robert Farnsworth (March 23, 1930 – September 20, 2011) was a pharmacognosist, professor, and author.

Early life and education

He received his bachelor's in 1953 and master's in 1955 in pharmacy at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, and his Ph.D. in

Pharmacognosy Pharmacognosy is the study of medicinal plants and other natural substances as sources of drugs. The American Society of Pharmacognosy defines pharmacognosy as "the study of the physical, chemical, biochemical, and biological properties of drug ...

from the

University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy is the graduate pharmacy school of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1878, it offers Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degre ...

in 1959, where he helped establish the Pharmacognosy Department, became its first chair, and taught until 1970.

Military service

An army veteran of the Korean War, Farnsworth served as a Private First Class and eventually as a Corporal in the Third Infantry Division, Seventh Regimental Combat Team, nicknamed the "Fire Brigade" in Korea. He was seriously wounded in the winter of 1950. Because of his service during the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, he received the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Medal with a "V" device, which is the U. S. military's fourth-highest award for valor. He was also awarded four oak leaf clusters, representative of four additional awards of the Bronze Star medal, the

Combat Medical Badge The Combat Medical Badge is an Badges of the United States Army, award of the United States Army which was first created in January 1945. Any member of the Army Medical Department, at the rank of colonel or below, who is assigned or attached to a ...

, and the Korean Ribbon with Four Battle Stars.

Career

He was a founding member of the American Society of Pharmacognosy in 1959. He was also the founding director of the Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago. From 1970 to 1982, he was the head of the Department of

and

Pharmacology 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 biochemica ...

at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...

. In 1974, he traveled to China with the American Herbal Pharmacology Delegation, where they studied the practice of traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Afterwards, the National Academy of Sciences published "Herbal Pharmacology in the People’s Republic of China." When computers were first coming onto the scene, Farnsworth created Natural Products Alert (NAPRALERT) in 1975. The NAPRALERT database was the first computerized collection on the research and science of natural products. Farnsworth was a member of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO) Expert Advisory Panel on Traditional Medicine. He was also the director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine Programme at UIC's College of Pharmacy. A pioneer in the field of pharmacognosy, Dr. Farnsworth was an honorary member of the American Society of Pharmacognosy, an honorary member of the Society for Economic botany, an honorary member of the

International Society for Ethnopharmacology International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, an honorary member of the French Pharmacognosy Society, and a member of the Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy. He also received three honorary doctorates from University of Paris V (René Descartes), Uppsala University in Sweden, and his alma mater, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Sciences. In 2005, the American Society of Pharmacognosy awarded him their Research Achievement Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farnsworth, Norman 1930 births 2011 deaths Pharmacognosists Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences alumni