Richards, Alfred N. (Alfred Newton), 1876-1966

Alfred Newton Richards worked as a pharmacologist and medical administrator; he was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1935.

Epithet: pharmacologist and nephrologist

Alfred Newton Richards was a pharmacologist and medical administrator. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1935.

Alfred Newton Richards was born on March 22, 1876 in Stamford, New York to Reverend Leonard E. Richards and Mary Elizabeth Burbank Richards. He attended the Stamford Seminary and Union Free School, graduating in 1892. Richards received a B.A. degree with honors in chemistry in 1897 from Yale University. He continued his studies with Professor R.H. Chittendon at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale. When Chittendon left Yale for Columbia, Richards went with him; he graduated in 1901, the first person to receive a Ph.D. in physiological chemistry from the Graduate School of Columbia University.

While at Columbia, Richards began teaching an elective course in pharmacology; in 1907, as a result of the popularity of Richards' course, pharmacology was incorporated into the curriculum. Richards left Columbia in 1908 to set up a department of pharmacology at Northwestern Medical School. After two years, he left Northwestern for the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine to Chair the Department of Pharmacology, a position he held until 1946 when he became Professor Emeritus. In addition, he served the University as Vice President in Charge of Medical Affairs, 1939-1948.

During Word War I, Richards went to Britain to study wound shock with Henry H. Dale and the staff of the British Medical Research Committee. In 1918 he became a Major in the U.S. Sanitary Corps and was sent to France to study the effects of gas warfare. On his return, Richards began his groundbreaking work on kidney functions and the filtration-reabsorption concept.

He served in a variety of governmental capacities including the Chairman of the Committee of Medical Research of the Office of Scientific Research and Development and the Medical Affairs Task Force of the Commission in the Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government. Principal among his efforts was making penicillin available to World War II soldiers. He was elected to the office of President of the National Academy of Sciences in 1947 and simultaneously served as a member of the Board of Directors of Merck & Co. Richards was a member of many prestigious professional organizations, and throughout his life he was recognized by professional, academic, governmental, and civic organizations with honors, awards, and honorary degrees.