Editorial
Obituary

Prof. Dr Varro E. Tyler (1926 - 2001)

On 22 August 2001, Professor Varro E. Tyler passed away suddenly, just one day after he returned from a trip to Austria where he and his wife Ginny had celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary.[]

Prof. Tyler, honorary member of the Society for Medicinal Plant Research (Gesellschaft für Arzneipflanzenforschung) since 1994, was born 19 December 1926 in a small town in the southeastern corner of Nebraska. Following graduation from high school in 1943, Varro E. Tyler - known to his friends as ”Tip” - studied pharmacy at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. However, his studies were interrupted by military service; he did not see combat action anymore, but he served in the US occupation force in Japan. Upon his return from the army he resumed his studies and in 1949 he obtained his B.S. in pharmacy (with high distinction). Together with his wife, Tyler married her in August 1947, he moved east to the University of Connecticut, which was inaugurating a new graduate programme in pharmacy. He became the first student receiving a doctorate from this programme, under the guidance of Professor Arthur E. Schwarting. His Ph. D. thesis was on the chemistry and biological activity of the alkaloids produced by the ergot fungus, Claviceps purpurea.

Thereafter, in 1953, Prof. Tyler returned to the University of Nebraska, where he started his independent academic career (as associate professor of Pharmacognosy). Then, in 1957, he joined the University of Washington in Seattle, where he later became full professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacognosy. Finally, in 1966, Prof. Tyler was offered the deanship of one of the most prestigious schools of pharmacy in the USA, namely at Purdue University in West Lafayette (Indiana). In his role as Dean of this School of Pharmacy, he was instrumental in shaping the future of pharmacy as a profession by supporting the evolution of the field of clinical pharmacy, while at the same time he insisted on a strong scientific foundation. After twenty years as dean, he became the chief academic officer of Purdue University with overall responsibility for the entire academic enterprise of the University. Five years later, he returned to the teaching faculty as the ”Lilly Distinguished Professor of Pharmacognosy”.

Prof. Tyler has greatly influenced the field of pharmacognosy (or pharmaceutical biology) through his research on ergot alkaloids and on biologically active constituents of mushrooms, particularly poisonous ones, but also through his widely used textbook ”Pharmacognosy” which has seen seven editions under his guidance. The most recent one, by Robbers, Speedie and Tyler, was entitled ”Pharmacognosy and Pharmacobiotechnology” and appeared in 1996. Another famous book by Tyler is ”The Honest Herbal” an invaluable source of information for healthcare professionals as well as for the lay public with regard to the efficacy and safety of herbal remedies.

Since 1997, when Prof. Tyler retired from Purdue University, he has devoted himself entirely to writing and lecturing on the topic of herbal medicine. Perhaps less widely known is the fact that he was also a renowned scholar in the field of philately, specialising in forgeries of Japanese postage stamps. Prof. Tyler has also been a very active member of scientific societies; for example, he was a founding member the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP), and served as its first President, but he was also president of other organisations, and member of the Board of Directors of the Gesellschaft für Arzneipflanzenforschung.

Prof. Tyler has been a long-standing friend of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Europe, particularly in Germany. His ties to this country date back to his interactions with the late Professor Kurt Mothes, who was also much interested in ergot alkaloids. Prof. Tyler frequently visited Halle, and at the height of the cold war he spent one year (1963 - 64) in the Institute for Plant Biochemistry of Prof. Mothes. Probably he was the first US citizen who stayed for a sabbatical in communist East Germany. Through his contacts with many colleagues in Europe, he not only made many friends, but he also developed a deep appreciation of the advances made in Germany with regard to the evaluation of herbal drugs, their standardisation, and the compilation and critical evaluation of data on herbal drugs. By his activities Prof. Tyler has been for many years a bridge between Europe and the USA, which may also be well illustrated by the fact that he was the motivating force behind the publication of the English translation of the German Commission E monographs, and that he was a member of the Advisory Board of PLANTA MEDICA for a long period of time.

Both in the USA and abroad, Prof. Tyler was considered a great expert, namely on the medicinal use of plants and on the regulatory aspects of herbal medicinal products. His accomplishments have been widely recognised: he received the Research Achievement Award in Natural Products of the American Pharmaceutical Association, he was appointed honorary member of several organisations, e. g., of the American Society of Pharmacognosy and of the Gesellschaft für Arzneipflanzenforschung, he was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and - last but not least - he was awarded honorary doctorate degrees by the University of Nebraska, the University of Connecticut, Purdue University, and the Martin-Luther University of Halle (FRG). He was also honoured by the American Philatelic Society with the Luff Award for Distinguished Philatelic Research.

The loss of Prof. Tyler will be deeply felt in the whole world of Medicinal Plant Research, thus including the Gesellschaft für Arzneipflanzenforschung, as we not only have lost a great eloquent teacher but also a faithful friend. It is a privilege to have known him. We wish his wife, children and further relatives much strength for the time to come.

J.J.C. Scheffer, GA PresidentA. Nahrstedt, Editor

Footnote:
Data were kindly provided by Prof. Dr H. Floss and Prof. Dr D. Gröger; photograph by courtesy of the American Botanical Council.