A Short History of the Drug Receptor Concept

Introduction Paul Ehrlich and his Receptor Concept The Development of the Concept of Drug Receptors in the Physiological Research of J. N. Langley The Receptors and Scientific Pharmacology I: The Critics of the Receptor Idea and Alternative Theories of Drug Action, c. 1905-1935 The Receptors and Scientific Pharmacology II: The Critics of the Receptor Idea and Alternative Research Strands: The Transmitter Theory, c. 1905-1935 Quantitative Arguments for the Existence of Drug Receptors and the Development of the Receptor Occupancy Theory, c. 1910-1960 The Dual Adrenaline Receptor Theory of Raymond P. Ahlquist (1914-1983) and its Application in Drug Development between 1950 and 1970 The Emergence of Molecular Pharmacology Conclusions Archival Sources Bibliography