Sir James W. Black

About Sir James W. Black

Who is it?: Pharmacologist
Birth Day: June 14, 1924
Birth Place: Uddingston, United Kingdom, Scottish
Citizenship: British
Alma mater: University of St Andrews
Known for: work towards the use of propranolol and cimetidine
Awards: Lasker award (1976) FRS (1976) Mullard Award (1978) Artois-Baillet Latour Health Prize (1979) Nobel Prize for Medicine (1988) Royal Medal (2004)
Fields: Pharmacology
Institutions: University of Malaya University of Glasgow ICI Pharmaceuticals University College London University of St Andrews University of Dundee King's College London
Website: www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1988/black-bio.html

Sir James W. Black

Sir James W. Black was born on June 14, 1924 in Uddingston, United Kingdom, Scottish, is Pharmacologist. Sir James W. Black was a Scottish pharmacologist who won a share of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1988. He developed the beta blocker, propranolol, which is used for the treatment of heart disease and also developed cimetidine, a H2 receptor antagonist, a drug to treat stomach ulcers. His discoveries are credited to have changed the practice of cardiology, and the drugs he developed are among the most prescribed in the world. The son of a mining engineer, he grew up to be a carefree and happy youth with no serious ambitions in life. As a teenager, he was persuaded into sitting for the competitive entrance examination for St Andrews University which he easily cleared, winning the Patrick Hamilton Residential Scholarship. He proceeded to study medicine and graduated with an MB ChB in 1946. However, he had no interest in practicing medicine and was more inclined towards academics and research. After spending a few years in Singapore, he joined the University of Glasgow (Veterinary School) in Scotland where he went on to establish the Physiology Department. Eventually he shifted to research and developed propranolol while working for ICI Pharmaceuticals. Another major drug, cimetidine, was developed during his stint at Smith, Kline and French. His pioneering work in drug development earned him several prestigious awards including the Lasker award and the Nobel Prize.
Sir James W. Black is a member of Scientists

Does Sir James W. Black Dead or Alive?

As per our current Database, Sir James W. Black has been died on 22 March 2010(2010-03-22) (aged 85)\nLondon, England, United Kingdom.

🎂 Sir James W. Black - Age, Bio, Faces and Birthday

When Sir James W. Black die, Sir James W. Black was 85 years old.

Popular As Sir James W. Black
Occupation Scientists
Age 85 years old
Zodiac Sign Cancer
Born June 14, 1924 (Uddingston, United Kingdom, Scottish)
Birthday June 14
Town/City Uddingston, United Kingdom, Scottish
Nationality Scottish

🌙 Zodiac

Sir James W. Black’s zodiac sign is Cancer. According to astrologers, the sign of Cancer belongs to the element of Water, just like Scorpio and Pisces. Guided by emotion and their heart, they could have a hard time blending into the world around them. Being ruled by the Moon, phases of the lunar cycle deepen their internal mysteries and create fleeting emotional patterns that are beyond their control. As children, they don't have enough coping and defensive mechanisms for the outer world, and have to be approached with care and understanding, for that is what they give in return.

🌙 Chinese Zodiac Signs

Sir James W. Black was born in the Year of the Rat. Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rat are quick-witted, clever, charming, sharp and funny. They have excellent taste, are a good friend and are generous and loyal to others considered part of its pack. Motivated by money, can be greedy, is ever curious, seeks knowledge and welcomes challenges. Compatible with Dragon or Monkey.

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Famous Quotes:

Has made outstanding contributions, based on fundamental considerations of receptor theory, to the development of new drugs of clinical importance. Introduced the first effective beta blockers and analysed their cardiovascular effects. These drugs have opened up new perspectives for the treatment of angina pectoris, cardiac irregularities and hypertension. More recently, in a concerted drive carried out with great vision, he has developed a new type of histamine antagonist capable of inhibiting gastric acid secretion induced by histamine or pentagastrin. Apart from its practical implications this work has considerable fundamental importance since it provided evidence for the existence of a new type of histamine receptor. This work has also provided experimental support for the hypothesis that endogenous histamine may be involved in the secretion of acid in the stomach.

Biography/Timeline

1924

Black met Hilary Joan Vaughan (1924–1986) at a ball at university in 1944 and the couple married in 1946 upon his graduation. He described her as the "mainspring" of his life until she died aged 61 in Surrey. The couple had a daughter, Stephanie, born in 1951. Black remarried in 1994, to Professor Rona MacKie. Black was a very private man who was averse to publicity and was horrified to discover he had won the Nobel Prize.

1950

Black had large debts upon his graduation from university, so he took a teaching job in Singapore for three years, before moving to London in 1950 and then on to join the University of Glasgow (Veterinary School) where he established the Veterinary Physiology Department and developed an interest in the way adrenaline affects the human heart, particularly in those suffering from angina. Having formulated a theory of an approach by which the effects of adrenaline might be annulled, he joined ICI Pharmaceuticals in 1958, remaining with the company until 1964, during which time he invented propranolol, which later became the world's best-selling drug. During this time Black pioneered a method of research whereby drug molecules were purposefully built instead of being synthesised first and then investigated for their potential medical uses. The discovery of propranolol was hailed as the greatest breakthrough in the treatment of heart disease since the discovery of digitalis.

1964

At the same time, Black was developing a similar method of inventing drugs for treatment of stomach ulcers, but ICI did not wish to pursue the idea so Black resigned in 1964 and joined Smith, Kline and French where he worked for nine years until 1973. While there, Black developed his second major drug, cimetidine, which was launched under the brand name Tagamet in 1975 and soon outsold propranolol to become the world's largest-selling prescription drug.

1967

Until 1967, University College, Dundee was the site for all clinical medical activity for the University of St Andrews. He matriculated at University College (which eventually became the University of Dundee) in 1943 and graduated from University of St Andrews School of Medicine with an MB ChB in 1946. During his time at St Andrews, Black lived in St Salvator's Hall.

1973

Black was appointed professor, and head of department, of pharmacology at University College London in 1973 where he established a new undergraduate course in medicinal chemistry but he became frustrated by the lack of funding for research and accepted the post of Director of therapeutic research at the Wellcome Research Laboratories in 1978. However he did not agree with his immediate boss there, Sir John Vane, and resigned in 1984. Black then became Professor of Analytical Pharmacology at the Rayne Institute of King's College London medical school, where he remained until 1992. He established the James Black Foundation in 1988 with funding from Johnson and Johnson and led a team of 25 Scientists in drugs research, including work on gastrin inhibitors which can prevent some stomach cancers.

1976

Black was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1976 and the same year he was awarded the Lasker award. His certificate of election to the Royal Society reads:

1979

In 1979, he was awarded the Artois-Baillet Latour Health Prize. In 1982 Black was awarded the Wolf Prize in Medicine, and the year after the Scheele Award. He was awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Medicine along with Gertrude B. Elion and George H. Hitchings for their work on drug development. In 1994 he received the Ellison-Cliffe Medal from the Royal Society of Medicine.

1981

Black was made a Knight Bachelor on 10 February 1981 for services to medical research, receiving the honour from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. On 26 May 2000 he was appointed to the Order of Merit, of which there are only 24 members at any one time, by Queen Elizabeth II.

1992

In 1980, Black's association with the University of Dundee was renewed when the institution recognised his many achievements by conferring him with the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws. In 1992 he accepted an offer to succeed the 16th Earl of Dalhousie as Chancellor of the University and was installed as Chancellor at the award ceremony held in Dundee Repertory Theatre on 29 April 1992. Appropriately the first degree he conferred was to Professor Robert Campbell Garry, who had been responsible for his original appointment at University College Dundee. Sir James remarked at this ceremony that by returning to Dundee he was "in a real sense, coming home".

2005

As Chancellor, Sir James Black did much to promote the University of Dundee and was a popular figure within the University. He was awarded a second honorary degree, that of Doctor of Science, in 2005. He retired from his post the following year, and his association with the University of Dundee was marked with launching of the £20 million Sir James Black Centre. The centre, intended to promote interdisciplinary research in the life sciences, was opened by Sydney Brenner in 2006. Sir James Black himself visited the centre in October 2006 and was reportedly excited and pleased by what he saw.

2010

Shortly after his death the Bute Medical School of the University of St Andrews, where Black had studied for his initial degree in Medicine, announced that an honorary 'Sir James Black Chair of Medicine' would be created. In September 2010 the first Chair of Medicine at the University was given to Professor Stephen H Gillespie MD, DSc, FRCP (Edin), FRC Path, who left his post as Professor of Medical Microbiology at UCL.

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