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In 1904, John Uri Lloyd (JUL) filed his first patent on (what he named) Concentrator for Solutions, the device that has since come to be known as Lloyd's Cold Still or Lloyd's Extractor. Pharmacists had long recognized that when heat was applied to plant extracts the efficacy of the products was diminished. In developing his concentrator and extractor, JUL adopted the then-novel principle of applying heat to the surface, rather than the bottom, of the liquid. Although methods for manufacturing drugs have changed throughout the years, some contemporary herbalists still use JUL's method because it produces more effective products. The Lloyd Extractor now on display at LLM has identifying cooper plates that read: "Lloyd's Patent Extracting Apparatus patented March, 9, 1920 - number 1332908 - M[anufactured] by Brighton Copperworks, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, Coppersmiths & Engineers to the Chemical Industry." Lloyd's Extractor was first manufactured by F.C. Deckebach & Sons Company of Cincinnati, which was purchased by Brighton around 1934. In 1986 Brighton was sold to Trinity Industries, Inc.; and, in 2002, Enerfab, located at 4955 Spring Grove Ave, Cincinnati, acquired Trinity. Today, Enerfab makes containers and related products for the food and beverage industries, as well as the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The Lloyd Extractor has found a most appropriate home at LLM - an artifact relevant to Cincinnati's pharmacy and business history. There is, however, another story about this particular extractor that integrates even more pharmacy history, as well as connections to the University of Michigan (U of M). In 1914, Henry Kraemer, graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, left his position as Professor of Botany and Pharmacognosy at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (Kraemer corresponded with JUL - LLM archives holds letters from his Philadelphia years, 1879-1909) for another at U of M. During World War I, under the direction of Kraemer, practical work in pharmacognosy was expanded; it was around this time, that the Lloyd extractor, now at LLM, was purchased for use in U of M's pharmacy and pharmacognosy department. The extractor remained on U of M's campus for a number of years. In 1962, Albert Y. Leung became a student at U of M and received both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy. He went on to have an active career in natural products working or consulting with many institutes and companies. From the National Cancer Institute to Bristol-Myers, Leung lent his expertise in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and producing genuine high-quality traditional extracts using modern technology. A few years ago, LLM learned that Leung held this particular Lloyd Extractor. He had used it as a student at U of M and later in his pharmacognostic work with botanical raw materials. LLM and Leung began discussing a loan of the extractor, discussions which continued until the end of 2011, when he donated it outright - the same year he received the 2011 Alumni Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the College of Pharmacy, the University of Michigan, for his contributions to the advancement of herbal medicine, especially in TCM. Leung has now made a major contribution to the history of pharmacy through his donation of the Lloyd Extractor. Plans are underway to develop a permanent educational exhibit at LLM titled "The History of Pharmaceutical Chemistry," which will display the Lloyd Extractor - now located in the Reading Room it is presently a source of curiosity, drawing comments and questions from visitors. In addition, the permanent exhibit will feature the Soxhlet Extractor, a donation from Research Triangle Institute of North Carolina, used by scientists in the 1960s to test and produce cancer-fighting agents from the Pacific Yew, Taxus brevolia, which led to today's important anti-cancer medicine Taxol®. Along with these two important extractors, the exhibit will include other pharmaceutical equipment from Lloyd Brothers, Pharmacists, Inc. and Benet's Pharmacy, a long-time Cincinnati establishment and compounding pharmacy that recently closed its business near Piatt Park and made a significant donation of artifacts and other materials to LLM from the pharmacy. The exhibit will culminate with the George Rieveschl, Jr. Research Center featuring books and artifacts once belonging to Rieveschl; as well as his research papers on the development of Benadyl® from LLM's George Rieveschl, Jr. Papers. Read full press release here.
Japan and cherry trees have several strong local connections. There is the Japan America Society of Greater Cincinnati; and, nearly 25 years ago, through Cincinnati USA's Sister City Association, Gifu, Japan became our Sister City on May 11, 1988. LLM has a significant connection to Japan and cherry trees as well. The library's founder, John Uri Lloyd (JUL), visited Japan in 1935, where the Japanese people warmly greeted and honored him with several gifts of appreciation, which now reside in LLM. Many of the books on display were gifts to JUL, as was the bust of JUL by sculptor Ryuko Kawamura of Tokyo as a memory of his visit to Japan. Even before JUL travelled to Japan, he and his brothers had earlier connections to several Japanese scientists. For instance, the visitor's book for 1920, on display, was signed by a Japanese botanist who was a friend and colleague of the youngest brother, Curtis Gates Lloyd. In addition, a Japanese pharmacist and botanist, Shiro Tashiro, presented JUL with a handwritten manuscript by Tashiro, circa 1930. The book, titled Defense of Fancy, contained personal remembrances of Tashiro's life in the Japanese village of Kamitogo with attention given to medicine and the materia medica of Tashiro's school headmaster; as well as folk tales, religious observations, and expressions of the Japanese village culture. In a scrapbook kept in the Library's archives, there are newspaper clippings and other information concerning JUL and his trip to Japan and the Japanese response to his death. From these, we learn that after his death in 1936, memorial services were conducted in Tokyo, which were attended by even the Japanese Emperor's personal physician. The reports also relay the fact that Japan sent cherry trees to Cincinnati as a memorial of JUL. By 1941, about 3,500 trees had been delivered and planted in Eden Park. Read the full press release here.
Money has written several fascinating works on fungi and frequently makes use of the fungi resources at the Lloyd, of which there are many, since Curtis G. Lloyd, one of the Library's founders was also a mycologist, fungus scientist. These are amazing life forms which have a real impact on our daily lives, mostly without us being even the slightest bit aware of it. Money's latest book, as well as his earlier publications, are all available for use at the Lloyd Library and can be found by searching the catalog.
The Lloyd Library and Museum is pleased to announce the availability of a Learning and Service Scholarship. Graduate students in library science and graduate and senior level students in history are eligible. The award is $500 per term and requires 15 hours per month of service (for the duration of the term) during which time recipients will receive hands-on training and experience in areas of either library or archives practice and theory in a special library setting. To read more about this opportunity and how to apply, download this informational flyer. |
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LLM has recently acquired a significant piece of history - an extractor patented by its founder John Uri Lloyd. It was donated to LLM by AYSL Corporation through Albert Y. Leung, Ph.D. This particular unit has not only a long and interesting history, but also significantly touches upon the history of pharmacy, Cincinnati business, the University of Michigan, and Lloyd Brothers, Pharmacists, Inc.
The Lloyd Library and Museum (LLM) celebrates the 100th anniversary of Japan's gift of cherry trees to our nation's capitol, Washington, D.C., with an exquisite art exhibit, curated by Diane Fishbein, of contemporary artists Alysia Fischer, Setsuko H. LeCroix, and Charles Woodman, who explore nature through sculpture, painting, and video; as well as an LLM exhibit curated in-house, of books, artifacts, memorabilia, and archival items from the library's collections featuring both western and traditional Japanese bindings, explorations of early encounters between the West and Japan, cherry trees, and other beautifully illustrated scientific works of Japan, and Japanese nature landscape and art. Highlights include the complete published (1856) report of Commodore Matthew Perry's expedition to Japan in the mid-19th century, an illustrated Japanese materia medica originally written by a samurai in the 18th century, and many Japanese hand-colored illustrated books on cherries and other flowering plants. Image shown here is from The Flowers and Gardens of Japan, painted by Ella Du Cane and described by her sister Florence Du Cane, published in 1908 by A. and C. Black of London.
In a recent interview on National Public Radio's "Fresh Air" program, Lloyd Library's board member and frequent library researcher, Nicholas P. Money, Professor of Botany and Director of the Western Program at the Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, explained the wonderful magic behind mushroom reproduction and dissemination. 
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