US co-inventor of nicotine patch dies ("Murray was always asking, 'Why do people smoke?'")

[Leo 9]

US co-inventor of nicotine patch dies
2 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) — A pioneer in the fight against tobacco and the co-inventor of the nicotine patch, Murray Jarvik, died this week of congestive heart failure, the University of California said Saturday. He was 84.

Jarvik, a professor emeritus at University of California-Los Angeles, was a leader in the field of psychopharmacology, the study of the effect of drugs on human behavior. Born in New York in 1923, he was among the first to examine the effects of LSD on memory and addiction.

Later in his career, he turned his attention to tobacco and was "instrumental in establishing the field of nicotine research," UCLA said.

"Murray was always asking, 'Why do people smoke?'" said Richard Olmstead, a UCLA associate researcher in psychiatry.

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