Black was born on 14 June 1924 inUddingston, Lanarkshire, the fourth of five sons of aBaptist family which traced its origins toBalquhidder, Perthshire.[6] His father Walter Black was a mining engineer and his mother was Catherine Reid Whyte.[6] He was brought up in Fife, educated atBeath High School, Cowdenbeath, and, at the age of 15, won a scholarship to theUniversity of St Andrews.[6] His family had been too poor to send him to university and he had been persuaded to sit the St Andrews entrance exam by his maths teacher at Beath.[7]
After graduating, he stayed at University College to join the physiology department as an assistant lecturer before taking a lecturer position at King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore that later became part of theUniversity of Malaya.[8][9] Black had decided against a career as a medical practitioner as he objected to what he considered the insensitive treatment of patients at the time.[9]
Black had large debts upon his graduation from university, so he took a teaching job in Singapore for three years, before moving to London in 1950[10] and then on to join theUniversity of Glasgow (Veterinary School) where he established the Veterinary Physiology Department and developed an interest in the wayadrenaline affects thehuman heart, particularly in those suffering fromangina.[11] Having formulated a theory of an approach by which the effects of adrenaline might be annulled, he joinedICI Pharmaceuticals in 1958, remaining with the company until 1964, during which time he inventedpropranolol,[5] which later became the world's best-selling drug.[11] During this time Black pioneered a method of research whereby drug molecules were purposefully built instead of being synthesised first and then investigated for their potential medical uses.[9] The discovery of propranolol was hailed as the greatest breakthrough in the treatment of heart disease since the discovery ofdigitalis.[11]
At the same time, Black was developing a similar method of inventing drugs for treatment ofstomach ulcers, but ICI did not wish to pursue the idea so Black resigned in 1964 and joinedSmith, Kline and French where he worked for nine years until 1973.[12] While there, Black developed his second major drug,cimetidine, which was launched under the brand name Tagamet in 1975 and soon outsold propranolol to become the world's largest-selling prescription drug.[11]
Black was appointed professor, and head of department, of pharmacology atUniversity College London in 1973 where he established a new undergraduate course inmedicinal chemistry[6] but he became frustrated by the lack of funding for research and accepted the post of director of therapeutic research at theWellcome Research Laboratories in 1978.[9] However he did not agree with his immediate boss there,Sir John Vane, and resigned in 1984.[9] Black then became Professor of Analytical Pharmacology at the Rayne Institute ofKing's College London medical school, where he remained until 1992.[9] He established the James Black Foundation in 1988 with funding fromJohnson & Johnson and led a team of 25 scientists in drugs research, including work ongastrin inhibitors which can prevent some stomach cancers.[9]
Black contributed to basic scientific and clinical knowledge incardiology, both as a physician and as a basic scientist. His invention ofpropranolol, thebeta adrenergic receptor antagonist that revolutionised the medical management ofangina pectoris, is considered to be one of the most important contributions to clinical medicine andpharmacology of the 20th century.[13][14] Propranolol has been described as the greatest breakthrough in heart disease treatments since the 18th century discovery ofdigitalis and has benefited millions of people.[9] Black's method of research, his discoveries about adrenergic pharmacology, and his clarification of the mechanisms of cardiac action are all strengths of his work.[15]
In 1980, Black's association with theUniversity of Dundee was renewed when the institution recognised his many achievements by conferring him with the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws. In 1992 he accepted an offer to succeed the16th Earl of Dalhousie aschancellor of the university and was installed as chancellor at the award ceremony held inDundee Repertory Theatre on 29 April 1992. Appropriately the first degree he conferred was to ProfessorRobert Campbell Garry, who had been responsible for his original appointment at University College Dundee. Sir James remarked at this ceremony that by returning to Dundee he was "in a real sense, coming home".[8]
As Chancellor, Sir James Black did much to promote the University of Dundee and was a popular figure within the university. He was awarded a second honorary degree, that of Doctor of Science, in 2005. He retired from his post the following year, and his association with the University of Dundee was marked with launching of the £20 million Sir James Black Centre. The centre, intended to promote interdisciplinary research in the life sciences, was opened bySydney Brenner in 2006. Sir James Black himself visited the centre in October 2006 and was reportedly excited and pleased by what he saw.[8]
A portrait of Black in his chancellor's robes, by Helene Train, is held as part of the university's fine art collection.[16] The portrait is currently displayed in the foyer of the Sir James Black Centre.[citation needed]
Has made outstanding contributions, based on fundamental considerations of receptor theory, to the development of new drugs of clinical importance. Introduced the first effective beta blockers and analysed their cardiovascular effects. These drugs have opened up new perspectives for the treatment of angina pectoris, cardiac irregularities and hypertension. More recently, in a concerted drive carried out with great vision, he has developed a new type of histamine antagonist capable of inhibiting gastric acid secretion induced byhistamine orpentagastrin. Apart from its practical implications this work has considerable fundamental importance since it provided evidence for the existence of a new type of histamine receptor. This work has also provided experimental support for the hypothesis that endogenous histamine may be involved in the secretion of acid in the stomach.[1]
On 23 November 2018, the University of Glasgow renamed the West Medical Building in honour of Black. Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Glasgow, said: “Sir James was undoubtedly one of the greatest scientists of the modern age. Through his commitment, intellect and insight he achieved a global impact and his discoveries continue to improve the lives of many.” The unveiling of a plaque was attended by Sir James Black’s wife, Professor Rona Mackie Black, emeritus professor and senior research fellow in public health within the university's Institute of Health and Wellbeing.[citation needed]
Black met Hilary Joan Vaughan (1924–1986) at a university ball in 1944 and the couple married in 1946 upon his graduation. He described her as the "mainspring" of his life until she died aged 61 inSurrey.[6][25] The couple had a daughter, Stephanie, born in 1951.[6] Black remarried in 1994, to ProfessorRona MacKie.[9] Black was a very private man who was averse to publicity and was horrified to discover he had won the Nobel Prize.[9]
Black died, aged 85, on the morning of 22 March 2010 after a long illness. His death was announced by theUniversity of Dundee, where Black served as Chancellor from 1992 to 2006.[26] His funeral was held on 29 March at St. Columba's Church, London.[10] He is buried at the Ardclach cemetery, a parish established in 1655, near Nairn, Scotland. Upon hearing of Black's death, Professor Pete Downes, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee said Black "was a great scientist, but he was also a great man to know" while theBBC said he was "hailed as one of the great Scottish scientists of the 20th Century".[19] He was described byThe Daily Telegraph as the man who earned the most for thepharmaceutical industry through his drug development, though he received little personal financial gain from his work.[9]
Shortly after his death theBute Medical School of the University of St Andrews, where Black had studied for his initial degree in medicine, announced that an honorary 'Sir James Black Chair of Medicine' would be created.[27] In September 2010 the first chair of medicine at the university was given to Professor Stephen H Gillespie MD, DSc, FRCP (Edin), FRC Path, who left his post as professor of medical microbiology atUCL.[citation needed]
