In the 1930s, treatments for conditions like glaucoma and rheumatoid arthritis existed — but they cost a fortune. A single dose of the drug physostigmine required high-priced lab extraction that put it out of reach for ordinary people. Then Percy Julian changed everything.
Born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1899, Julian grew up in a world that tried to limit what a Black man could achieve. His grandfather had been formerly held in bondage. His local schools were so underfunded that when Julian enrolled at DePauw University in Indiana, he had to take remedial courses alongside his college classes. He graduated as valedictorian anyway.
The Breakthrough That Changed Medicine
In 1935, Julian made history by synthesizing physostigmine from plant sources — something chemists worldwide had been racing to accomplish. His method made the glaucoma treatment available at a fraction of the former cost, saving the sight of countless patients.
But he was just getting started. Julian went on to develop a process for synthesizing cortisone from soybean oil. Before his innovation, cortisone was extracted from animal bile at enormous expense — about per gram. Julian's plant-based method dropped the price to just pennies, making arthritis treatment accessible to millions of Americans who desperately needed it.
Defying Every Barrier
Despite his genius, Julian faced enormous resistance. He was denied professorships because of his race. When he moved to Oak Park, Illinois, his home was firebombed — twice. He responded not with retreat but with resilience, becoming the director of research at Glidden Company and later founding Julian Laboratories, which he sold for over million.
By the end of his career, Julian held over 130 chemical patents and had pioneered the mass production of hormones, steroids, and medications that improved (and saved) millions of lives.
A Legacy Worth Knowing
Percy Julian was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences — only the second Black chemist to receive that honor. In 1999, the American Chemical Society named his synthesis of physostigmine one of the top 25 achievements in the history of American chemistry.
Yet most people have never heard his name. He took medicine that only the wealthy could afford and made it available to everyone. That's not just chemistry — that's changing the world.
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