Philipp Lorenz Geiger (29 August 1785 in

Freinsheim Freinsheim (; Palatine German: Fränsem) is a town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With about 5,000 inhabitants, it is among the state's smaller towns. It is also the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', ...

– 19 January 1836 in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

) was a German

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

and

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

known for his work with plant

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of simila ...

s. From the age of 14 he worked as an apprentice pharmacist in

Adelsheim Adelsheim (; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Alleze'') is a small village in northern Baden-Württemberg, about 30 km north of Heilbronn. The state-recognized resort of Adelsheim in the Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis looks back on a 1,200 ...

, 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 50,000 (2011). Rastatt was a ...

and

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

. Around 1811 he took over management of a pharmacy in

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

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

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. 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 many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including ...

(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 red prussiate and created Gmelin's test, and wrote his ''Handbook of Chemistry'', which over successi ...

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

Neue Deutsche Biographie ''Neue Deutsche Biographie'' (''NDB''; literally ''New German Biography'') is a biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 26 volumes published thus far cove ...

(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 given ...

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 ...

colchicine Colchicine is a medication used to treat gout and Behçet's disease. In gout, it is less preferred to NSAIDs or steroids. Other uses for colchicine include the management of pericarditis and familial Mediterranean fever. Colchicine is taken b ...

and

hyoscyamine Hyoscyamine (also known as daturine or duboisine) is a naturally occurring tropane alkaloid and plant toxin. It is a secondary metabolite found in certain plants of the family Solanaceae, including henbane, mandrake, angel's trumpets, jims ...

.Kremers and Urdang's History of Pharmacy
by Edward Kremers, Glenn Sonnedecker In 1831 he was the first to obtain

coniine Coniine is a poisonous chemical compound, an alkaloid present in and isolable from poison hemlock (''Conium maculatum''), where its presence has been a source of significant economic, medical, and historico-cultural interest; coniine is also produ ...

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. 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 German botanist, physician, zoologist, and natural philosopher. He was a contemporary of Goethe and was born within the lifetime of Linnaeus. He ...

, (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