William Saunders
 
In the Canada of 1857 doctors made their rounds by horse and buggy and medication consisted mainly of raw herbs and basic chemicals with some minerals such as the phosphates, potash, etc. In that year, William Saunders, a noted chemist, established the first Canadian drug manufacturing business from his home in London, Ontario (Dundas street, current location of J. B. Campbell Memorial Park).

William Saunders isolated the first fluid extracts - a major breakthrough in medicine - and was awarded the celebrated Bronze Medal for his achievements at the World Fair in Paris in 1878. He began the manufacture of these extracts and widened his scope through the development of other new pharmaceutical preparations. Saunders' business of marketing pharmaceuticals remained localized in London until the coming of the railroad. As new country was opened to settlers, doctors moved in, drugs were needed and Saunders' pharmaceuticals travelled to widespread areas.

Prior to World War I the company was moved to a new plant on larger premises in London. Although the Saunders' family interest lay in the improvement of pharmaceuticals, they are also famed as the developers of the Canadian Marquis strain of wheat. Saunders was also instrumental in the formation and development of the National Experimental Farm in Ottawa, where a bronze plaque commemorates his many achievements in the fields of agriculture. One of the Federal government buildings in Ottawa, the "Saunders Building", was named for him. Saunders led in establishing the Ontario College of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. He was Vice-President for eight years; President for three, and established standards that have been adhered to ever since. The firm of W. E. Saunders Pharmaceuticals Limited has grown from a small privately owned family company to a corporation supplying drug stores, hospitals, doctors and veterinarians in all parts of Canada and abroad with pharmaceuticals, surgical supplies and medical sundry items. New product developments and additions to the company product line necessitated another move to a larger plant in 1958.

Article from: Business and History - W. E. Saunders Limited This material is from an alphabetical company list found in Business and History at Western at the University of Western Ontario.

This essay was written in c 1967. It was copied from the May 1967 "Centennial Issue" of Industrial Canada held in the Western Libraries at the University of Western Ontario. The original article should be consulted since this copy may contain some errors.

More about Saunders...
Saunders established the Experimental Farms Service (now Research Branch) of the federal Dept of AGRICULTURE. He moved with his family from England to Canada in 1848 and apprenticed as a druggist, opening his own store in 1855. His concern about insects attacking pharmaceutical plants led him to help found the Entomological Society of Canada in 1863. Keywords Agriculturalists Born in 1836 An avid gardener and orchardist, he introduced many new varieties of fruit. In 1874 he was made a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; he was president of the Ontario College of Pharmacy 1879-82, as well as of the Huron and Erie Mortgage Co; in 1881 he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada; and in 1882 he was president of the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario. In 1886 Parliament passed legislation establishing the Dominion Experimental Farms and Stations, partly based on Saunders's report of his 1885 investigation of US stations, and he was appointed director. He pursued his new task with vigour, personally selecting sites for each of the original 5 farms, choosing staff and continuing his interests in cereal breeding, horticulture and forestry. He commenced the wheat-breeding program that resulted in his son Sir Charles Edward SAUNDERS's development of MARQUIS, the variety that opened the Canadian West. He received honorary degrees from Queen's and University of Toronto; his many technical writings are in Department of Agriculture libraries.  Author T.H. ANSTEY