Theodore Sourkes

Theodore Sourkes, born on February twenty-first, nineteen nineteen, in Montreal, Quebec, was a distinguished Canadian biochemist and neuropsychopharmacologist. His contributions significantly advanced the treatment of Parkinson's disease and hypertension, marking him as a pivotal figure in the field of medical research.

Sourkes pursued his academic journey at McGill University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences in nineteen thirty-nine. His path took an unexpected turn during World War II when he was unable to enlist in the Canadian Army due to poor eyesight. Instead, he contributed to the war effort by working in a chemical engineering factory in Toronto.

After the war, Sourkes returned to McGill to further his studies, obtaining a Master of Science degree under the mentorship of Earle Wilcox Crampton. He then achieved a Ph.D. from Cornell University in nineteen forty-eight, working alongside the renowned James B. Sumner. Following a brief tenure as an assistant professor in pharmacology at Georgetown University, he joined the Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research, where he played a crucial role in developing α-methyldopa, an important antihypertensive medication.

In nineteen fifty-three, Sourkes returned to McGill University, where he dedicated the remainder of his career to the Department of Psychiatry. His legacy continued until his passing on January seventeenth, two thousand fifteen, due to pneumonia at the Montreal General Hospital. He was laid to rest in the Montreal Workers' Circle section of the Baron de Hirsch Cemetery, with his archives preserved at McGill University in the Osler Library of the History of Medicine.