Alexander Tschirch

Who is Alexander Tschirch?

Alexander Tschirch was a German-Swiss pharmacist born in Guben.

He received pharmacy training in Dresden and in the Berner Staatsapotheke. From 1878 to 1880 he studied at the University of Berlin, earning his PhD at Freiburg in 1881, followed by his degree in botany from Berlin in 1884. In 1889-90 he took a study tour of India, Ceylon and Java. From 1890 to 1932 he was a professor of pharmacy and pharmacognosy at the University of Bern, serving as rector in 1908-09.

Tschirch is known for his studies in plant anatomy and research of resins and anthraquinone glycosides. He made significant contributions towards the fourth and fifth edition of the "Pharmacopoeia Helvetica". He was the author of twenty books and numerous journal articles, and among his publications is Die Harze und die Harzbehälter mit Einschluss der Milchsäfte, a highly regarded reference book on resins and other plant extracts.