Oswaldo Vital Brazil, Brazilian pharmacologist and toxinologist (São Paulo 02 March 1912 –Campinas, São Paulo State 26 October 2008)

Son of physician Vital Brazil

Gained international recognition on action mechanisms of venoms and toxins from snakes, spiders and scorpions

First application in man of anti Ctenus serum

Imunização por via intradérmica e por via sub-cutânea pelo soro antictenus. Método de dosagem e primeira aplicação no homem. Anais Paul. Med. Cir. 60(5):555-63, 1950

Obtained, purified and clarified the chemical structure of beeberine (1946-7)

Isolated chondrocurare from Chondrodendrum platyphyllum (1942) used as muscle relaxant 

Demonstrated pharmacological basis of venom actions from snakes Micrurus sp. and Crotalus sp.

Discovered that 3,4 diaminopyridine is able to inhibit dessensitization phenomenon (1983)

With A. P. Corrado discovered neuromuscular action of antibiotics and the blocking mechanism of streptomycin in high doses (1957)

With J. Prado-Franceschi, M.G. Lomba and N.F. Heluany discovered convulxine a new toxin from rattle snake venom (1967)

With A. Barrio described an apparatus for obtaining bird spider venom employing electrical shock

With M. Lomba, J.C. Barberio & J. Kieffer.  A biosynthetic method for labeling snake venoms. Intern. Conference Radioactive Isotope in Pharmacol. (1969)