Gordon Alles
Encyclopedia
Gordon A. Alles was an American chemist
and pharmacologist who did much research on the isolation and properties of insulin
for the treatment of diabetics. He is also credited with discovering and publishing the psychological effects of amphetamine
, as well as for MDA. He is the first person ever to have created amphetamine sulfate, although he is not understood to have been the first person ever to have invented the amphetamine molecule. Nonetheless it was Alles who was the first person ever reported to have recognized the qualities of amphetamine as a synthetic analog of ephedrine, and therefore received credit for this. He enjoyed large payments from Smith, Kline & French (SKF) because of his 'discovery' owing to the fact that he sold his patent rights for amphetamine to this company and it enjoyed massive sales, particularly in the US pharmaceutical industry. Some of the more popular products produced by SKF containing amphetamine included Benzedrine
pills and inhalers, Dexedrine pills, as well as Dexamyl
tablets. Rival counterfeiters also popped up trying to violate Alles' 'weak' patent, e.g. "Profetamine
" as well as for "Clark-o-Tabs", etc.
Alles was primarily interested in natural and synthetic drug chemicals and the relationship between their molecular structures and their biological actions. In 1928 he discovered the
physiological properties of benzedrine
(amphetamine) and he contributed to its development as a drug. This drug and Dextroamphetamine
, which was developed from the discovery, have had worldwide medical use as general brain stimulants.
Alles had also spent time in Tahiti, where he was investigating the possibilities of developing tranquilizers from alkaloids in a native drink called kava
.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and pharmacologist who did much research on the isolation and properties of insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
for the treatment of diabetics. He is also credited with discovering and publishing the psychological effects of amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
, as well as for MDA. He is the first person ever to have created amphetamine sulfate, although he is not understood to have been the first person ever to have invented the amphetamine molecule. Nonetheless it was Alles who was the first person ever reported to have recognized the qualities of amphetamine as a synthetic analog of ephedrine, and therefore received credit for this. He enjoyed large payments from Smith, Kline & French (SKF) because of his 'discovery' owing to the fact that he sold his patent rights for amphetamine to this company and it enjoyed massive sales, particularly in the US pharmaceutical industry. Some of the more popular products produced by SKF containing amphetamine included Benzedrine
Benzedrine
Benzedrine is the trade name of the racemic mixture of amphetamine . It was marketed under this brandname in the USA by Smith, Kline & French in the form of inhalers, starting in 1928...
pills and inhalers, Dexedrine pills, as well as Dexamyl
Dexamyl
Dexamyl is the brand name of a combination drug composed of dextroamphetamine and amobarbital .First introduced in the 1930s, Dexamyl was a rudimentary antidepressant medication...
tablets. Rival counterfeiters also popped up trying to violate Alles' 'weak' patent, e.g. "Profetamine
Profetamine
Profetamine is the name of a generic form of amphetamine sulfate which was introduced in the 1940s. Apparently, it was a counterfeit of the patented SKF Benzedrine Sulfate tablets that were available at the time....
" as well as for "Clark-o-Tabs", etc.
Career
Alles received his BS (1922), MS (1924), and PhD (1926) degrees from Caltech. Since 1931 he had been a lecturer in pharmacology at the University of California Medical school in San Francisco, and since 1951 he had been Professor in Residence of pharmacology at UCLA. From 1934 to 1951 he was a consultant for the SKF laboratories. He was owner of the Alles Chemical Research Laboratories in Pasadena, and had been a Caltech research associate since 1939. In 1958 he gave Caltech a gift of $350,000 which financed, in large part, the five-story Gordon A. Alles Laboratory for Molecular Biology.Alles was primarily interested in natural and synthetic drug chemicals and the relationship between their molecular structures and their biological actions. In 1928 he discovered the
physiological properties of benzedrine
Benzedrine
Benzedrine is the trade name of the racemic mixture of amphetamine . It was marketed under this brandname in the USA by Smith, Kline & French in the form of inhalers, starting in 1928...
(amphetamine) and he contributed to its development as a drug. This drug and Dextroamphetamine
Dextroamphetamine
Dextroamphetamine is a psychostimulant drug which is known to produce increased wakefulness and focus as well as decreased fatigue and decreased appetite....
, which was developed from the discovery, have had worldwide medical use as general brain stimulants.
Alles had also spent time in Tahiti, where he was investigating the possibilities of developing tranquilizers from alkaloids in a native drink called kava
Kava
Kava or kava-kava is a crop of the western Pacific....
.