Question 1

True or false: George Merck believed medicine should be developed only for profit, not for the public good.

Accepted Answer

False. Merck famously said, 'We try never to forget that medicine is for the people, not for the profits.' Profits follow, he believed.

Question 2

True or false: George Merck was the founder of the modern pharmaceutical company Merck & Co.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1891, George Merck established Merck & Co. as the U.S. subsidiary of the German Merck company, which his family had operated since 1668. This entity later became an independent pharmaceutical giant.

Question 3

True or false: George Merck was a trained medical doctor, which guided his pharmaceutical decisions.

Accepted Answer

False. He studied chemistry and business, earning a degree from Harvard. He was not a physician, though he deeply respected medical science.

Question 4

True or false: During World War II, Merck handed over the company's research on penicillin to the U.S. government.

Accepted Answer

True. He voluntarily shared proprietary penicillin production methods with other companies and the government to meet wartime medical needs.

Question 5

True or false: Merck personally funded the development of the first vitamin B12 supplement.

Accepted Answer

False. While Merck & Co. isolated and commercialized B12, it was a team effort led by scientist Karl Folkers, not a personal project of George Merck.

Question 6

True or false: George Merck oversaw the development of large-scale penicillin production at Merck & Co. during World War II.

Accepted Answer

True. Under his leadership, Merck built a pilot plant for deep-tank fermentation of penicillin, making it one of the first companies to mass-produce the antibiotic for Allied forces.

Question 7

True or false: George Merck advocated for free distribution of the drug ivermectin to combat river blindness in developing countries.

Accepted Answer

False. George Merck died in 1957, before ivermectin was discovered (1975) or approved for human use (1987). The Mectizan Donation Program was launched by Merck & Co. under CEO Roy Vagelos.

Question 8

True or false: George Merck gave away the patent for streptomycin to the University of Alabama.

Accepted Answer

False. The patent for streptomycin was held by Rutgers University, not Merck. Merck & Co. was one of many licensees; George Merck never owned the patent to give away, and the University of Alabama has no connection to the drug’s development.

George Merck Trivia Questions