Valerius Cordus

Valerius Cordus
German physician and botanist
Born	18 February 1515 Hesse or Erfurt, Holy Roman Empire
Died	25 September 1544(1544-09-25) (aged 29) Rome, Papal States

Valerius Cordus (18 February 1515 – 25 September 1544) was a German physician, botanist and pharmacologist who authored the first pharmacopoeia North of the Alps and one of the most celebrated herbals in history. He is also widely credited with developing a method for synthesizing ether (which he called by the Latin name oleum dulci vitrioli, or "sweet oil of vitriol").

Cordus wrote prolifically, and identified and described several new plant species and varieties. The plant genus Cordia is named for him.