Pharmaceutical Research in Wilhelmine Germany

The Case of E. Merck

Bibliographic Data

ID9624045
AuthorsCarsten Burhop (0000-0002-2714-6558, Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Economics, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume83
Issue3
Pages475-503
Publication date2009-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Business History Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-6805 • E-ISSN: 2044-768X
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s000768050000297x
OpenAlexW3121841079
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited24

This paper offers a detailed case study of the emergence, organization, and development of research and development at E. Merck. During the 1890s, revolutionary changes in the scientific knowledge base, especially the rise of bacteriological research and the entry of dyestuff producers into the pharmaceuticals market, combined with the financial distress Merck was undergoing to force the firm to reorganize pharmaceutical research as a corporate strategy. Consequently, between 1895 and 1898, Merck restructured its in-house research, forming closer ties with universities and other outside inven- tors. Merck depended on these sources to generate new products, while relying on in-house scientists to improve productive efficiency. A spate of new products was launched between the late 1890s and 1905, but, in the following years, resource constraints restricted Merck's innovative capacity

Business · Economics · Management · Political science · Resource (disambiguation · Computer Science · Historical and Scientific Studies · Historical Medical Research and Treatments · Twentieth Century Scientific Developments

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