Professor Dragendorffi teadustegevuse jäljed Tartu Ülikooli ajaloo muuseumi kogudes

Abstract

Evidence of Dragendorff’s scientific work in
The University of Tartu History Museum
Collections

J. G. N. Dragendorff (20.04.1836 – 26.03.1898) was a Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Tartu from 1864 to 1894. The development of equipment and increase in the number of chemical and herbal substances used (3882 different substances) was significant between 1840 and 1885. Currently, there are 5 different collections of herbal and chemical substances in the University of Tartu History
Museum from the Dragendorff period: Herbal substances, Microscopic preparations, Park substances, Wallpaper sample and Textile sample collections. The collection of herbal substances is the largest (ca 1200). Most
herbal substance exhibits are from the period between 1879 and 1889. However, there are also some exhibits from earlier times (for example 1829 Huanuco, 1846 Hamburg, 1863 Paris and 1867 Venezuela). Professor Dragendorff conducted extensive research to discover the cure for malaria – he was sent Cinchona (Cinchonae cortec) from overseas to be able to prepare a pharmaceutical that helped cure malaria. The microscopic preparations are also from late 19th century – all together 1197 preparations have been described.
The Park substances collection consists of 90 closed glass
ampoules. Research has focused on park substances extracted from 7 different herbal substances or plants. Wallpaper sample and textile sample collections demonstrate the research focused on finding arsenic in wallpaper and textiles to possibly explain some cases of poisoning. The collection consists of approximately 700 wallpaper and 200 textile samples.