Abstract
Hugo Schulz should have an important place in the history of pharmacology and toxicology because he is credited with being the one who discovered what is now referred to as hormesis.
If Schulz were alive today, he would be celebrating his 150th birthday. However, some eighty years ago, on his 70th birthday, he gave his colleagues a detailed look at his life and times as a pharmacologist during the later decades of the 19th century and the earliest years of the 20th century at the University of Griefswald in northern Germany. This autobiographical glimpse into the life and mind of Schulz has many interesting facets, but none more exciting than that moment of discovery when he sees his first inverted U dose response. It is particularly fascinating that his initial response is that of surprise and disbelief—surely this must be an error! So, he does what every well-trained scientist does: he attempts to replicate the original observations.
I think you will find the story of Schulz and the original observation of the hormetic response an invaluable contribution to the history of toxicology.
I would like to thank Ted Crump of the NIH for translating this 1923 article.