{{Short description|American chemist}} thumb|Takeru Higuchi, University of Kansas Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy and Chemistry '''Takeru Higuchi''' (January 1, 1918 – March 24, 1987) was an American chemist who was widely known as "the father of physical pharmacy".<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.ijpharm.2011.05.019 |pmid=21640808 |title=Takeru Higuchi, the man and the scientist |journal=International Journal of Pharmaceutics |volume=418 |issue=1 |pages=3–5 |year=2011 |last1=Barratt |first1=Gillian |last2=Puisieux |first2=Francis }}</ref> He invented the time-release medication capsule,<ref>[https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/takeru-higuchi/16878 Takeru Higuchi - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society]{{full citation needed|date=September 2018}}</ref> which would release medicine slowly into the bloodstream.
==Biography== Higuchi was born on January 1, 1918, near Los Altos, California, and completed his Bachelor of Chemistry with Honors in 1939 at the University of California and his doctorate in physical and organic chemistry in 1943 at the University of Wisconsin. He worked as a research chemist at the University of Akron, and in 1947 joined the University of Wisconsin as an assistant professor.<ref name="Obit">{{cite journal|last1=Mossberg|first1=Howard E.|title=In Memoriam Takeru Higuchi 1918–1987|journal=Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences|date=November 1987|volume=76|issue=11|pages=i|doi=10.1002/jps.2600761102|doi-access=free}}</ref> In 1961, he published the Higuchi equation, which models the rate at which an ointment releases its medication.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bruschi|first1=Marcos Luciano|title=Strategies to Modify the Drug Release from Pharmaceutical Systems|date=2015|publisher=Woodhead Publishing|isbn=9780081001127|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5sicBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA70|pages=70–72|access-date=4 April 2018|language=en}}</ref> In 1964, he was made the university's Edward Kremmer Professor of Pharmacy.<ref name="Obit"/>
In 1967 he joined the University of Kansas as its Regents Professor of Chemistry, and was founding chairman of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry until 1983.<ref name="Obit"/>
He died at the University of Missouri-Columbia Hospital and Clinics when was 69 years old.<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1987/03/27/442087.html?pageNumber=106 TimesMachine: TAKERU HIGUCHI - NYTimes.com]{{full citation needed|date=September 2018}}</ref>
==Awards and honors== Higuchi was widely honored,<ref name="Obit"/> including: * 1969 – awarded the Scheele Award<ref>{{cite web|title=Scheele Laureates 1961 - 2015|url=https://www.apotekarsocieteten.se/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Scheele-Laureates-1961-2015.pdf|access-date=4 April 2018}}</ref> * 1981 – the American Pharmacists Association established the Takeru Higuchi Research Prize<ref>{{cite web|title=Takeru Higuchi Research Prize {{!}} American Pharmacists Association|url=https://www.pharmacist.com/takeru-higuchi-research-prize|website=www.pharmacist.com|access-date=4 April 2018|language=en}}</ref> * 1983 – awarded the Remington Medal<ref>{{cite web|title=Remington Honor Medal {{!}} American Pharmacists Association|url=http://www.pharmacist.com/remington-honor-medal-0|website=www.pharmacist.com|access-date=4 April 2018|language=en|archive-date=5 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505030507/http://www.pharmacist.com/remington-honor-medal-0|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Higuchi, Takeru}} Category:1918 births Category:1987 deaths Category:20th-century American chemists Category:20th-century American pharmacists Category:pharmacists from California Category:People from Los Altos, California Category:University of Kansas faculty Category:University of California alumni Category: University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni