Editing Draize test (section)

== Background ==

John Henry Draize (1900–1992) obtained a BSc in chemistry then a PhD in pharmacology, studying [[hyperthyroidism]]. He then joined the [[University of Wyoming]] and investigated plants poisonous to cattle, other livestock, and people. The U.S. Army recruited Draize in 1935 to investigate the effects of [[mustard gas]] and other chemical agents.

In 1938, after a number of reports of [[coal tar]] in [[mascara]] leading to blindness, the U.S. Congress passed the Federal [[Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act]], placing [[cosmetics]] under regulatory control.<ref name=Wilhelmus>{{cite journal |author=Wilhelmus KR |title=The Draize eye test |journal=Surv Ophthalmol |volume=45 |issue=6 |pages=493–515 |year=2001 |pmid=11425356 |doi= 10.1016/S0039-6257(01)00211-9}}</ref> The following year Draize joined the FDA, and was soon promoted to head of the Dermal and Ocular Toxicity Branch where he was charged with developing methods for testing the side effects of cosmetic products. This work culminated in a report by Draize, his laboratory assistant, Geoffrey Woodard, and division chief, Herbert Calvery, describing how to assess acute, intermediate, and chronic exposure to cosmetics by applying compounds to the skin, penis, and eyes of rabbits.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Draize J.H. |author2=Woodard G. |author3=Calvery H.O. | year = 1944 | title = Methods for the study of irritation and toxicity of substances applied topically to the skin and mucous membranes | journal = J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. | volume = 82 |issue=3 | pages = 377–390 |doi=10.1016/S0022-3565(25)08751-8 }}</ref>

Following this report, the techniques were used by the FDA to evaluate the safety of substances such as [[insecticide]]s and [[sunscreen]]s and later adopted to screen many other compounds. By Draize's retirement in 1963, and despite never having personally attached his name to any technique, irritancy procedures were commonly known as "the Draize test" <ref name=Kay>{{cite journal |author1=Kay J.H. |author2=Calandra J.C. | year = 1962 | title = Interpretation of eye irritation tests | journal = J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem. | volume = 13 | pages = 281–289 }}</ref> To distinguish the target organ, the tests are now often referred to as "the Draize eye test" and "the Draize skin test".