The Pittsburgh Conference on
Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon) and the Chemical
Heritage Foundation (CHF) recently bestowed the 2012 Pittcon Heritage Award on
the founders of Shimadzu, a world leader in analytical instrumentation. Father
and son, Genzo Shimadzu, Sr. and Jr., who set up the company in the second half
of the nineteenth century, helped to contribute towards the rapid modernization
of Japan through the development of storage batteries and X-ray equipment.
The Pittcon Heritage Award, now in
its 11th year, recognizes outstanding individuals whose entrepreneurial careers
have shaped the instrumentation community, inspired achievement, promoted
public understanding of the modern instrumentation sciences and highlighted the
role of analytical chemistry in world economies.
"Genzo Shimadzu, Sr. and Jr., can
truly be called pioneers in bringing Western technology to Japan," said Thomas
R. Tritton, president and CEO of CHF. "Their two generations of leadership
created the scientific instrumentation industry and paved the way for Japan to
become an industrial powerhouse in the second half of the 20th century."
Representatives of Shimadzu
Corporation collected the posthumous Pittcon Heritage Award on behalf of heir
founders in Orlando, Florida, on March 11 during the world's annual premier
conference on laboratory science. The names of Genzo Shimadzu, Sr. and Jr., as well
as their achievements have been added to a roster of Pittcon Hall of Fame
members.
Genzo Shimadzu, Sr., (1839-1894)
Originally a maker of Buddhist
altars, Genzo Shimadzu, Sr., learnt about Western technology after 1868 through
the Physics and Chemistry Research Institute in Kyoto. Identifying new
opportunities, he used his mechanical abilities to repair and maintain foreign
equipment and then began to manufacture it himself. His business supplied
distillation devices, evacuation apparatus, Atwood's machines, and even medical
equipment, to Japanese schools. His death at the age of fifty-five
transferred ownership of his business to his oldest son, Umejiro, who changed
his name to Genzo and was determined to follow in his father's footsteps.
Genzo Shimadzu, Jr., (1868-1951)
Genzo Shimadzu, Jr., developed
impressive technical and inventive skills at his father's business and, with
his younger brothers, Genkichi and Tsunesaburo, expanded the company. He
created a department for science specimens in 1895, followed by the development
of a revolutionary method for manufacturing high-quality reactive lead powder,
an essential ingredient for storage batteries. Shimadzu's launch of the
manufacture of storage batteries in 1897 was of particular importance for
Japan. At this time, Shimadzu also pioneered research into X-ray
equipment, producing the first medical X-ray machine in 1909. By his
death in 1951, Genzo Shimadzu, Jr., had registered 178 inventions in twelve
countries and Shimadzu became an innovative force, providing researchers with
many tools for discovery, ranging from balances to spectrographs to industrial
X-ray equipment.
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About Shimadzu
Shimadzu endeavors to facilitate customer product
development and quality control in a wide variety of fields, protect and
improve the global environment, and improve people's health and lives by
supplying analytical and measuring instruments, medical systems, industrial
equipment and other products and services. The brand statement, "Excellence
in Science," expresses Shimadzu's commitment to remaining a global leader
based on its superior scientific technological capabilities and to be
recognized as an excellent company in the field of science.