S. E. Massengill Company
Encyclopedia
S. E. Massengill Company was a pharmaceutical company started in 1898. It was founded by Samuel Evans Massengill, who graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School, but decided to manufacture drugs rather than practice medicine himself. By 1937, it employed more than 200 people in Bristol, Tennessee
, including six graduate pharmaceutical chemists.
The company was responsible for the elixir sulfanilamide disaster of 1937, described as one of the most consequential mass poisonings of the 20th century. In that year, the company introduced a new product, Elixir Sulfanilamide, which used toxic diethylene glycol
as a solvent, leading to the deaths of at least 100 people in 15 states. The company was unaware diethylene glycol was toxic, and placed the product on the market with no safety testing. The resulting scandal led to the passage of the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
.
The Massengill company continued to operate as a family-owned pharmaceutical firm until it was acquired in 1971 by Beecham plc.
, itself later merged into SmithKline Beecham in 1989, and since 2000 merged into GlaxoSmithKline
.
Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundaries of both cities run parallel to each other along State...
, including six graduate pharmaceutical chemists.
The company was responsible for the elixir sulfanilamide disaster of 1937, described as one of the most consequential mass poisonings of the 20th century. In that year, the company introduced a new product, Elixir Sulfanilamide, which used toxic diethylene glycol
Diethylene glycol
Diethylene glycol is an organic compound with the formula 2O. It is a colorless, practically odorless, poisonous, and hygroscopic liquid with a sweetish taste. It is miscible in water, alcohol, ether, acetone, and ethylene glycol. DEG is a widely used solvent...
as a solvent, leading to the deaths of at least 100 people in 15 states. The company was unaware diethylene glycol was toxic, and placed the product on the market with no safety testing. The resulting scandal led to the passage of the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
The United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act , is a set of laws passed by Congress in 1938 giving authority to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to oversee the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics. A principal author of this law was Royal S. Copeland, a three-term U.S. Senator from...
.
The Massengill company continued to operate as a family-owned pharmaceutical firm until it was acquired in 1971 by Beecham plc.
Beecham (pharmaceutical company)
Beecham was a British pharmaceutical company. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Beecham, after having merged with SmithKline Beckman, merged with GlaxoWellcome to become GlaxoSmithKline .-History:...
, itself later merged into SmithKline Beecham in 1989, and since 2000 merged into GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
.