AKA Wilbur Lincoln Scoville

Born: 1865
Died: 1942
Cause of death: unspecified

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Occupation: Scientist

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Scoville heat units

Pharmacologist at Parke Davis, a Detroit-based pharmaceutical company. In 1912, Scoville developed the "Scoville Organaloptic Test" to measure the perceived heat intensity of chile peppers. The test measured how much a spicy substance would have to be diluted in sugar water before its pungency was no longer noticable. Originally, Scoville ratings were based on human response to progressive dilutions, but contemporary applications employ machines to directly measure amounts of capsaicinoids, the chemicals responsible for the sensation of heat. Bell peppers are considered to have a Scoville rating of zero, that is, lacking any piquancy, whereas habanero peppers have a Scoville rating of 300,000. Pure capsaicin rates at 16 million Scoville units.

The American Pharmaceutical Association awarded Scoville the Ebert Prize in 1922, and the Remington Honor Medal in 1929, though likely these awards had nothing to do with his eponym.

    Parke-Davis
    Units of Measure pungency

Author of books:
The Art of Compounding (1895, pharmacology)
Extracts and Perfumes (19--, pharmacology)

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