Zu Leben und Wirken von August Eberhard (1887–1960)

Zu Leben und Wirken von August Eberhard (1887–1960) Die vorliegende Studie zu Leben und Wirken August Hugo Eberhards (1887–1960) leistet einen Beitrag zur Biografik und Geschichte der Pharmazie des 20. Jahrhunderts. Anhand zahlreicher Quellen aus siebzehn Archiven, verschiedenen Museen und persön...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Linzbach, Christina
Contributors: Friedrich, Christoph (Prof. Dr.) (Thesis advisor)
Format: Doctoral Thesis
Language:German
Published: Philipps-Universität Marburg 2023
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On the Life and Work of August Eberhard (1887–1960) This study on the life and work of August Hugo Eberhard (1887–1960) contributes to the biography and history of pharmacy in the 20th century. On the basis of numerous sources from seventeen archives, various museums and personal communications, it was possible to write the biography of this pharmacist. The analysis of the various stages of Eberhard's life was carried out chronologically. In particular, his diversity, which distinguished him in the field of pharmacy, becomes clear. August Eberhard probably decided to pursue a career in pharmacy for economic reasons, although he had originally wanted to study chemistry. Eberhard was supported by his teacher and doctoral supervisor Ernst Albert Schmidt (1845–1921). Together with Schmidt, he succeeded in synthesizing ephedrine for the first time. Although well-known representatives of pharmaceutical science paid tribute to August Eberhard for his services in the field of alkaloid research, the widespread fame failed to materialize. However, it could be proven beyond doubt that the company E. Merck from Darmstadt produced ephedrine synthetically according to Eberhard's method from 1926 onwards, a revenue share for Eberhard could not be determined. In 1919, Eberhard moved to the Technical University of Darmstadt, where he first completed his habilitation thesis and then accepted a call to the associate professorship for pharmaceutical chemistry. Here he devoted himself entirely to the tasks of a university lecturer, but the working conditions were not easy. Affiliated with the Institute of Chemistry, Eberhard had neither the necessary premises nor sufficient financial resources, so that he had to take on many courses himself. In addition, in 1931 he was appointed consultant for pharmaceutical affairs in Hesse and was thus responsible for the proper functioning of over 150 pharmacies. The remaining visitation protocols from three Hessian pharmacies offered the opportunity to present Eberhard's approach and focal points in the inspection of pharmacies. In addition to his pharmacy duties, he was busy as a university lecturer organizing the academic education of his students, also investing private funds in materials and equipment. There was no time for pharmaceutical-chemical research and publications. The review of the cash books made it possible to identify 153 pharmacy students from the years 1920 to 1938. Further research revealed interesting details about the part of women, the geographical origin of the students and, in some cases, their further careers. Although Eberhard tried to adapt the curriculum to the increased requirements of the new examination regulations of 1934 despite difficult conditions, the pharmacy in Darmstadt also had to close in 1938. Eberhard remained at the university but gave only a few lectures for chemistry students. In 1945, August Eberhard was dismissed from university service because of his membership in the NSDAP. After a few weeks, he received an offer to manage the hospital pharmacy at the Giessen Hospital. Initially, he supervised the return of the pharmacy to Giessen, which had been relocated during the war. Against all odds, he succeeded in making the Giessen hospital pharmacy fully operational again within a short time. Some months later, the ‘Spruchkammer Gießen’ classified August Eberhard as a follower in the denazification proceedings and sentenced him to a fine. In 1950 he even regained his civil servant status. In 1954 he finally retired and moved back to Darmstadt. Here he devoted himself to the history of pharmacy. He was busy to recreate a Hessian pharmacy history – an undertaking that turned out to be very difficult, since all documents had been robbed of the flames during the war. Nevertheless, he succeeded in publishing articles on the history of the Friedberg and Giessen pharmacies. His studies on Justus Liebig (1803–1873) also attracted much attention. When August Eberhard was asked to rebuild the historic museum pharmacy in the ‘Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt’, he gladly accepted the commission. However, he was not able anymore to see the opening of the pharmacy, which was set up in the basement of the museum in 1968. The competence he gained as a consultant for pharmaceutical affairs in Hesse concerning pharmaceutical law matters meant that even in retirement, he repeatedly received questions in this regard. He sought to clarify the problem in question or made recommendations on how to proceed. When the fate of the ‘Gemeindeapotheken’ was discussed again, he spoke out publicly and therefore contributed significantly to the later disappearance of the ‘Gemeindeapotheken’ as a form of operating license. In total, August Eberhard's scientific work comprises three monographs, two contributions to anthologies, 20 articles in journals and daily newspapers, and eight lectures. While 14 of his publications are pharmaceutical-chemical, 19 deal with pharmacy-historical topics. The life and work of August Eberhard, who died in Darmstadt in February 1960, illustrates his adaptability, which he had demonstrated as a pharmaceutical scientist, as a university lecturer, as a government and hospital pharmacist and as a pharmaceutical historian. At the same time, his biography exemplifies the broad spectrum of pharmacy.