Editing Arthur Heffter (section)

== Biography ==
Arthur Heffter was born on 15 June 1859 in [[Leipzig]], [[Germany]]. He studied [[Natural science|natural sciences]] and later medicine, earning a doctorate in chemistry in 1883 under chemist Wilhelm Limpricht. He spent two years at the [[University of Rostock]] in the Institute for Pharmacology and Physiological Chemistry before becoming an assistant to [[Oswald Schmiedeberg]] at the [[University of Strasbourg]], one of the leading figures in early pharmacology. Heffter held academic positions at several institutions, including the [[Leipzig University|University of Leipzig]] and the [[University of Bern]] in Switzerland, where he contributed to experimental pharmacology and [[medical education]]. In [[Berlin]], he was appointed director of the Pharmacological Institute and served in multiple advisory roles related to public health and pharmaceutical policy. 

His scientific work included studies on the excretion of [[Metal toxicity|toxic metals]] such as [[Mercury (element)|mercury]] and [[arsenic]], investigations into [[Cardiac glycoside|cardiac glycosides]] including digitalis, and the development of analytical methods for isolating active compounds from [[medicinal plants]]. Heffter was also active in pharmaceutical regulation. He served on the Prussian Pharmacopoeia Commission and the Imperial Health Office, where he helped shape early efforts at drug standardization and evaluation. Heffter’s early work isolating and studying [[mescaline]] preceded subsequent research into structurally related compounds like [[psilocybin]], which also interact with serotonergic systems.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Eyer |first=Peter |date=Feb 2025 |title=Ninth Pharmacologic-Historical Forum, 2024, Munich, Germany: the development of experimental pharmacology in Munich at the Walther Straub Institute |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11825546/ |journal=Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology |volume=398 |issue=2 |pages=1465–1481 |doi=10.1007/s00210-024-03338-7 |issn=1432-1912 |pmc=11825546 |pmid=39096377}}</ref> His regulatory work, along with his scientific contributions, positioned him as an influential figure in the development of modern pharmacology in [[Germany]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ro |first=E. |date=10 April 1925 |title=Arthur Heffter zum Gedächtnis |url=http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0028-1136662 |journal=DMW - Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift |language=de |volume=51 |issue=15 |pages=617–617 |doi=10.1055/s-0028-1136662 |issn=0012-0472}}</ref>

Heffter contributed to the early volumes of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, a reference work that has been cited in medical literature.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1927-07-16 |title=Handbuch der experimentellen Pharmaklogie. |url=https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1927.02690030064045 |journal=Journal of the American Medical Association |volume=89 |issue=3 |pages=232 |doi=10.1001/jama.1927.02690030064045 |issn=0002-9955}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Heffter |first=Arthur |title=Handbuch der experimentellen Pharmakologie |date=1920 |publisher=Springer |year=1920 |isbn=978-3-642-88938-7}}</ref> The [[Heffter Research Institute]], named after him, supports research into the therapeutic use of psychedelics. He also published monographs on subjects such as lead poisoning in painters and approaches to drug discovery, reflecting his involvement in public health and pharmaceutical research (see below).