The History of Botox

Botulinum toxin, better known as Botox, is a purified neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Although it is best known for use in cosmetic procedures, it is also used as a medication.

Beginnings

• German physician Justinus Kerner (1786-862), in his investigation of the death of countrymen from eating sausage, discovered that the fatalities were caused by food-borne bacteria. He nicknamed it "sausage poison" and "fatty poison."

Late 19th Century

• In 1897, Belgian bacteriologist Emile van Ermengem (1851-1932) identified Clostridium botulinum as the bacterium that causes the food poisoning. There are strains labeled A to G, four of which--A, B, E and F--are the cause of sickness.

20th Century: First Half

• In the 1920s, Herman Sommer isolated the A strand in purified form as a stable acid precipitate, and Alan Scott and Edward Schantz started purifying it in crystalline form in the late 1940s. Also, Vernon Brooks discovered that small doses of botulinum could relax overactive muscles.

20th Century: Second Half

• During the latter half of the 20th century, Alan Scott discovered that the A strain was effective for crossed eyes and various spasms. In 1989, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved botulinum toxin type A for treatment purposes. The toxin was then renamed Botox.

Today

• In recent years, with FDA approving of more treatment purposes, Botox has become synonymous with cosmetic procedures, burgeoning into a billion-dollar industry by 2006. This is largely due to celebrities popularizing it with fixing facial flaws like wrinkles and frown lines.