Benjamin Minge Duggar

Benjamin Minge Duggar

Birth date	September 1, 1872
Birth place	Gallion, Alabama, United States
Died	September 10, 1956
Place of death	New York City, United States
Nationality	American
Known for	Discovery of chlortetracycline

Benjamin Minge Duggar (September 1, 1872 – September 10, 1956) was an American botanist and mycologist renowned for his discovery of the first tetracycline antibiotic, chlortetracycline, which was marketed under the name Aureomycin. His work significantly advanced the field of antibiotics and had a profound impact on medicine.

Early Life and Education

Benjamin Minge Duggar was born in Gallion, Alabama, and grew up in a rural setting that fostered his interest in plants and nature. He pursued higher education at Harvard University, where he earned his Ph.D. in botany in 1898. His early academic work focused on plant physiology and mycology, the study of fungi.

Career

Duggar began his career as a professor of botany at the University of Missouri and later at Cornell University. His research interests included plant pathology and the study of fungal diseases affecting crops. In 1927, he joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a professor, where he continued his research on fungi and bacteria.

Discovery of Chlortetracycline

In the 1940s, while working for the Lederle Laboratories, Duggar discovered a new antibiotic produced by the bacterium Streptomyces aureofaciens. This antibiotic, named chlortetracycline, was the first of the tetracycline class of antibiotics. It was marketed as Aureomycin and became a powerful tool in treating a wide range of bacterial infections. Duggar's discovery was a milestone in the development of antibiotics and contributed to the antibiotic revolution in medicine.

Legacy

Duggar's work laid the foundation for the development of other tetracycline antibiotics, which have been used to treat various bacterial infections in humans and animals. His contributions to botany and mycology are also noteworthy, as he published extensively on plant diseases and fungal biology.

Also see

• Antibiotics
• Tetracycline
• Streptomyces
• History of medicine
• Botany