The History of Cortisone
In 1849, Scottish scientist, Thomas Addison discovered the connection between the adrenal glands and Addison's disease. This lead to more research on the function of the adrenal glands. By 1894, researchers had concluded that the adrenal cortex produced a hormone they called "cortin".During the 1930s, Mayo Clinic researcher, Edward Calvin Kendall isolated six different compounds from the adrenal glands and named them compounds A through F, in the sequence of their discovery.
Edward Calvin Kendall discovered the antirheumatic properties of cortisone in 1948. On September 21, 1948, compound E (renamed cortisone) became the first glucocorticoid to be administered to a patient with rheumatoid arthritis. A 1948 New York Times article reported that: "the African Strophanthus plant will prove to be a source of raw material out of which cortisone, the new anti-rheumatic introduced a few months ago as Compound E, can be synthesized."
Edward Calvin Kendall was awarded the 1950 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (together with fellow Mayo reseacher Philip S. Hench and Swiss reseaarcher Tadeus Reichstein) for the discovery of adrenal cortex hormones (including cortisone), their structures, and functions.
Cortisone was first produced commercially by Merck & Company on September 30, 1949.
Percy Julian invented an improvement in the process of producing cortisone.
