George Barger. Portrait of George Barger (1878- 1939), British chemist and pharmacologist. Barger performed work on determining the chemical structure of adrenaline. Collaborating with H. Dale, Barger investigated the active compounds of the ergot fungus that lived on rye grain. These chemicals were later found to be lysergic acid compounds. Dale & Barger studied proteins involved in allergic reactions (histamines) as well as other chemicals which stimulated the sympathetic nervous system, including noradrenaline. Barger determined the structure and devised the synthetic manufacture of a metabolism hormone (thyroxine) and, with A. Todd, vitamin B1.