“F” is for Furchgott, Robert Francis [1916-2009]. Pharmacologist. Nobel Prize Laureate. When he was a young boy growing up in Orangeburg, Furchgott’s first interest was natural history. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, he obtained a PhD in biochemistry from Northwestern University. He served on the medical faculties of Cornell, Washington University in St. Louis, State University of New York in Brooklyn, Miami University, and the Medical University of South Carolina. Furchgott became known for his research in cardiac pharmacology, peripheral adrenergic mechanisms, the theory of drug-receptor mechanisms, and vascular pharmacology and physiology. His research has had profound implications for the treatment of cardiovascular conditions and other diseases. In 1998 Robert Francis Furchgott and two others were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system.
Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.