Research chemist Percy Lavon Julian pioneered the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants. He was the first to synthesize physostigmine for glaucoma treatment. He also pioneered the large-scale chemical synthesis of the human hormones progesterone and testosterone, and helped establish the industrial production of cortisone, other corticosteroids, and birth control pills. The grandson of slaves, he was the first African-American chemist inducted into the National Academy of Sciences. He was born April 11, 1899.
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