Mildred Rebstock: Profile of the Medicinal Chemist Who Synthesized Chloramphenicol.

ABSTRACT

This year marks the 70th anniversary since Parke-Davis and Company announced the synthesis of chloramphenicol, the first naturally occurring antibiotic to be chemically generated in vitro for large-scale production. The effort was led by the chemist Mildred Rebstock, Ph.D., (1919 to 2011), who would turn 100 years old this year. Her accomplishment, at a time when very few chemists in the United States were women, was celebrated internationally. This commentary reviews her important contribution.