Nagayoshi Nagai
| Nagai Nagayoshi | |
|---|---|
Nagai Nagayoshi
Photo courtesy of the Matsuyama University Library Archives. |
|
| Born |
August 8, 1844 Myodo, Awa Province, Japan |
| Died | February 10, 1929 (aged 84) Tokyo, Empire of Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | Organic chemist, pharmacologist |
| Known for | discovery of ephedrine |
| Spouse(s) | Therese Schumacher |
| Children | Alexander Nagai |
Nagai Nagayoshi (長井 長義, August 8, 1844 – February 10, 1929) was a notable Japanese organic chemist and pharmacologist, best known for his study of ephedrine.
Nagai was born in the Myodo District, Awa Province in what is now the Tokushima prefecture, as the son of a doctor and started studying rangaku medicine at the Dutch Medical School of Nagasaki (Igaku-Denshujo) in 1864. While in Nagasaki, he made the acquaintance of Ōkubo Toshimichi, Itō Hirobumi, and other future leaders of the Meiji government.
Nagai continued his studies at Tokyo Imperial University and became the first doctor of pharmacy in Japan. He was sent under government sponsorship to Prussia in 1871 to study at the University of Berlin. He was the only civilian in a group of military students sent to study in Great Britain and France, and he traveled by way of the United States and Great Britain. While in Berlin, he resided at the home of Japanese diplomat Aoki Shūzō. He was influenced by the lectures of von Hofmann, and received a doctorate with a study on eugenol while working as an assistant at von Hofmann's laboratory. He decided to take up organic chemistry in 1873.
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