John Jacob Abel (1857-1938), US biochemist, in his laboratory. Abel studied at the University of Michigan, and obtained a medical degree from Strasbourg University (1888). A student of Oswald Schmiederberg at Strasbourg, like many of Schmiederberg's students he went on to found a pharmacology department. Abel founded and chaired the department of pharmacology at the University of Michigan, the first in the USA. He was also professor of pharmacology at Johns Hopkins University. He isolated epinephrine (adrenaline) in 1897. Abel co-founded 'Journal of Biological Chemistry' (1905) and 'Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics' (1909).