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The Quantification and Differentiation of the Drug Receptor Theory, c. 1910-1960

Maehle, AH

Authors



Abstract

While historians have dealt with the origins of the concept of drug receptors in the work of Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915) and John N. Langley (1852-1925) as well as with some of its applications in modern pharmaceutical research, the history of the receptor theory as such has been neglected. Discussing major developments and conceptual changes in receptor theory between about 1910 and 1960 (including relevant contributions by A. V. Hill, A. J. Clark, J. H. Gaddum, E. J. Ariëns and others), this paper attempts to fill this gap in historiography. It provides a case study of the unfolding of research under a new paradigm, but it considers also contemporary criticism and scepticism. By the early 1960s, quantitative investigations of drug action and interpretations of the experimental findings in terms of the receptor concept had become constitutive of the emerging field of 'molecular pharmacology'. Even then, however, receptors were still hypothetical entities.

Citation

Maehle, A. (2005). The Quantification and Differentiation of the Drug Receptor Theory, c. 1910-1960. Annals of Science, 62(4), 479-500. https://doi.org/10.1080/00033790412331312666

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date 2005-10
Deposit Date Apr 10, 2007
Journal Annals of Science
Print ISSN 0003-3790
Electronic ISSN 1464-505X
Publisher Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 62
Issue 4
Pages 479-500
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/00033790412331312666
Keywords Receptor theory, Pharmacology, Receptors, Drugs.