Ștefan Minovici is one of the fundamental figures of modern Romanian science, a name inseparably linked to the development of chemistry and pharmacy in Romania. His life was marked by effort, perseverance, and a constant passion for knowledge, in an era when access to education and research required considerable sacrifices. His professional path, unfolding between Romania and major European university centers, contributed decisively to the modernization of pharmaceutical education and to the affirmation of Romanian chemical research at an international level.

Origins, family, and early years of life

Ștefan Minovici was born on July 18, 1867, in Râmnicu Sărat, into a large family of Aromanian origin. He was the sixth child of Ștefan and Sofia Minovici, a family that, despite limited material resources, placed particular emphasis on the education of their children. 

This orientation toward learning was to become defining for the destiny of all the Minovici siblings, among whom Mina and Nicolae later became reference personalities of Romanian medicine.

Ștefan Minovici’s childhood was overshadowed by financial difficulties and by the early loss of his father. In 1875, at only eight years old, he was sent to Brăila to live with his uncles in order to continue his studies. 

One year later, after his father’s death, the entire family moved to the same city. Material needs forced young Ștefan to work from an early age, including as a church sexton, yet these hardships did not distance him from school, but rather strengthened his desire to succeed through education.

School education and the choice of a scientific path

After completing primary school, Ștefan Minovici enrolled in the gymnasium in Brăila, where he attended three classes. The year 1882 marked another important change, as the family moved to Bucharest, where his older brother, Mina Minovici, had managed to achieve better financial stability. In the capital, Ștefan and his brother Nicolae became students of the prestigious “Sfântul Sava” High School.

Ștefan Minovici graduated from high school in 1887, and at the urging of his brother Mina, he chose to study chemistry and physics, fields that were undergoing rapid expansion at the time. In the autumn of the same year, he enrolled in the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Bucharest. 

His intelligence and seriousness were quickly noticed by Professor Constantin I. Istrati, who recommended him as a teaching assistant for physics and chemistry courses at the high school where he had studied. This early teaching experience strengthened his inclination toward an academic career.

Academic debut and first scientific research

In 1893, Ștefan Minovici graduated from the Faculty of Sciences as head of his class, a performance that confirmed his status as an exceptional student. Professor Alexe Marin supported him in obtaining the position of assistant at the Chair of Organic Chemistry, thus offering him direct access to university research activity. 

During this period, Minovici published his first scientific paper, entitled “Obținerea eterilor fenilsulfonici ai fenolului trihalogenat” (“The preparation of phenylsulfonic ethers of trihalogenated phenol”), published in the “Bulletin of the Society of Physical Sciences”.

This paper represented a decisive moment in his career, confirming his talent and passion for experimental chemistry. The results he obtained opened the way toward international specialization, absolutely necessary for a young researcher aspiring to excellence in a rapidly evolving field.

Specialization in Berlin and international recognition

In 1894, Ștefan Minovici left for Berlin, where he enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy of the “Friedrich Wilhelm – Humboldt” University. There, he had the chance to work in the laboratories of world-renowned scholars, among them Emil Fischer, laureate of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1902. Under Fischer’s guidance, Minovici was employed as an assistant at the “Kaiser Wilhelm” Institute, organizing practical work in analytical chemistry.

Between 1895 and 1897, he developed his doctoral thesis, focused on the study of aromatic oxazolic and imidazolic compounds. The paper, published under the title “Ueber einige aromatische Oxazole und Imidazole”, was well received by the German scientific community and cited in numerous specialized treatises. This recognition consolidated his reputation as a valuable chemist, capable of making original contributions to the development of the field.

The reform of pharmaceutical education in Romania

During his stay in Berlin, the Chair of Analytical Chemistry at the Higher School of Pharmacy in Bucharest became vacant following the death of Professor Ion Radian. In 1896, Ștefan Minovici won the competition for this position and returned to the country, taking on an ambitious mission: the modernization of Romanian pharmaceutical education. 

Although he was not a pharmacist by training, his scientific vision and the experience gained in Germany allowed him to profoundly reform the structure of the chair.

He organized the laboratory according to the German model, equipping it with modern apparatus and introducing innovative teaching methods. For ten years, he fought to obtain adequate spaces for courses, a library, and specialized laboratories for qualitative and quantitative analyses, toxicology, and spectroscopy. 

His efforts culminated in 1923, when, at his initiative, the Faculty of Pharmacy was established, separate from the Faculties of Medicine and Sciences, and Minovici became its first dean.

Scientific activity and national and international recognition

Alongside his teaching activity, Ștefan Minovici made a remarkable contribution to the development of chemical research. In 1899, he founded the General Association of the Pharmaceutical Body of Romania and launched the “Bulletin of Pharmacy and Chemistry of Romania”, later renamed the “Bulletin of Chemistry”. 

In 1914, he laid the foundations of the Chemical Society, and in 1924 he organized, in Sinaia, the first National Congress of Chemistry, an event that continued until 1936.

He published over 100 scientific papers in fields such as analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, and toxicology. His research had important applications in forensic medicine and criminalistics, including the invention of an apparatus for separating inks used in forensic photography. 

He studied the presence of arsenic and mercury in organs, reactions with picrotoxin, qualitative blood analysis, and cholesterol metabolism. The lectures delivered at the Collège de France and the distinctions he received, such as the Lavoisier Medal and the Pasteur Medal, confirmed his international prestige.

The final years and the legacy left to Romanian science

In 1926, Ștefan Minovici was elected a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy, and in 1932 he received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the Faculty of Pharmacy. He remained until the end a discreet personality, devoted exclusively to scientific work. In 1935, he passed away, leaving a testament in which he requested a simple funeral, without speeches or public honors.

Ștefan Minovici’s legacy is profound and enduring. He contributed decisively to the modernization of pharmaceutical education, created essential institutions for research, and represented Romania with honor on the international scientific stage. Together with his brothers, he fundamentally changed the landscape of Romanian science, remaining an indisputable pioneer of chemistry and pharmacy in Romania.

We also recommend: Societatea Salvarea, Dr. Nicolae Minovici’s Project, and the Story of the First Ambulance in Bucharest