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o 1K GAPTEAL TIMES, Wednesday, July 21,

1954

 

University News and

Covering the Campus

 

v. Pharmacologist Cited | At
Tatum Research |,
- Benefits Millions

oe is atiother in a series

ef “profiles” of University. of
Wisconsin faculty members re-
tiring this “year — arn s
NOTE.). -

illions of lives, rescued from

disease, addiction and poisoning,
stand today in living ‘evidence of

- the résearch gifts of Dr. Arthur

L. Tatum of the University of
Wisconsin.
But as the 70-year-old profes-

', $or.and chairman of the Depart-

“tent-of Pharmacology terminates
his long and brilliant career in
retirement, few of. the myriad
» lives he has touched—the rescued
drug addicts, the cured syphilitics,

the victims of drug poisoning}.

brought back to life—will ‘Tecou-
nize his contributions.

In that. respect Dr, Tatum is
himself a victim—a victim of the
anonymity of the laboratory re-

search worker. For it was in. the;

realm of the test tube and the ex-

. perimental animal that the ques-

tioning, probing scientist brought] -
‘Rew hope to the more _unfortu-
nate of mankind. :

Dr. Tatum’s sphere of influence
extends far beyond the laboratory
‘finding..In nearly a half-century
of teaching, the friendly, quiet-
spoken pharmacologist, physiolog-
ist, and chemist has left his mark
on hundreds of students, many‘ of
them famous today.

Dr.. Tatum was born in Wall
Lake, Iowa, in 1884. Twenty-one
years later he graduated from
Penn College, Oskaloosa, Towa,
with a bachelor of science degree.
Chemistry was then his chosen
field and for the next two years

. he was a fellow in chemistry at

the University of Iowa while. he
earned his master of science -de-

gree.

From 1907 to 1910 he served as
instructor in chemistry at the
University of Colorado. In 1913
he received his Ph.D. from the
University of Chicago, and the
following ‘year was graduated in

‘ medicine from Rush Medical Col-

lege, -.
+++
During the next three years he

. served first as instructor in phys-

jology ‘at the University of Penn-
sylvania and then as professor
of physiology at the University of
South Dakota. In 1918 he joined
the faculty of the University of
Chicago:as. assistant professor of
pharmacology and later was rais-
- ed to the status of pannelate pro-
fessor.
He -¢ame to the University of
‘Wiscossin tm 1928 with the rank
f pyofessor and ihe following
year the assumed. chairmanship

 

  

 

of the Department of Pharmacol-

. BY ers. 2s eo *

=

Features

 

 

Dr. A. L. _ratum,

Forty-two years, ago “ago Dr. “Tatum
faced his group of students and
was launched on a career of guid-
ing young minds. Today his stu-i
dents, reflect in the positions they
hold, ‘much of the sound scientific
foundation he laid for them: a
large number of thera hold highly,
responsible posts. It is prdbable
that Dr. Tatum has turned outi,
more professors of pharmacology,}:
and for that matter, departmental
heads, than any other pharmacol-
ogy department in the country.

Inextricably interwoven with
those 42 years of teaching are 40
years of research. In that time
many knotty scientific problems
have engaged his energy, his
time,-and his mind; more’ than
175 publications bear, witness to
this.

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+ + + a
‘Early in his research career Dr.| |
Tatum investigated conditions in-
volving malfunction of the thyroid
gland. Next he turned to a study
of hypotie drugs. He was particu-
larly interested in the treatment].
of narcotic poisoning, As a result
of this research Dr. Tatum de-
veloped the use of a drug called
Picrotoxin to. combat the fre-
quently fatal effects of overdases|
of barbiturates (sleeping pills).
. This study led him inte an in-|
vestigation of chronic drug _ pois-
oning and drug addiction. During
this research Dr. Tatum clarified
the differences between drugs
that stimulate, such cocaine, and
drugs that depress, such as mor-
phine, and their chemical equiva-
lents. He alsb made observations
which today pre. the bases for
“4-- natsoning, °