William Procter, Jr.

American Pharmaceutical Association Historical Marker at N. 7th and Market Sts. Philadelphia, PA.

William Procter Jr. (May 3, 1817 – February 10, 1874) was an American pharmacist. He is known for his role in establishing the American Pharmacists Association and his work on the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). He was the author/editor of the first pharmacy textbook published in America. He has been referred to as the 'Father of American Pharmacy.'

Early life Procter was born in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., to Isaac and Rebecca Procter. Isaac died in 1831 and William, at 14 years old, moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., to start an apprenticeship. in Philadelphia. Elias Durand, a nearby pharmacist trained in France, encouraged Procter to pursue investigations. He attended the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, graduating in March 1837.

Shop and contributions to journals In 1844, he opened his own shop. Rather than including a soda fountain, his shop featured a laboratory and a writing area where he wrote scientific papers, practical articles, and editorials. He investigated a series of volatile oils, experimenting with new methods and apparatus, and his results were published in the American Journal of Pharmacy.

The assay of drugs became a specialty. Wholesalers paid for analysis before accepting a shipment, and the imported drug materials could vary widely in quality. Drugs rejected in Europe were sometimes shipped to America. Many vendors extended their wares by adding inert materials such as sawdust. In response, the United States Pharmacopeia was created to establish standards for drug quality, the first edition being published in 1820. Procter contributed to the 1840 revision of the work, where the committee later hired him as a consultant. The faculty of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy assisted. The USP, along with the National Formulary, was adopted as an official standards in the Food and Drug Act of 1906.

In 1848, Procter was named editor of The American Journal of Pharmacy. Similar journals originated in Philadelphia, including the American Journal of Medical Science from 1818 and the Journal of the Franklin Institute from 1824. Procter served as editor until 1870. He added abstracts of articles published in Britain and France. The Civil War stressed the journal's finances as Southerners stopped subscribing. Trimming costs by reducing the number of pages required and financial assistance from the college played a role in maintaining the journal.

Founding of the American Pharmaceutical Association Procter played a key role in the founding of the American Pharmaceutical Association in 1851 while he attended the Convention of Pharmaceutics and Druggists in New York.