Rudolf Buchheim (1 March 1820 – 25 December 1879) was a German pharmacologist born in Bautzen (Budziszyn).

[5] Buchheim introduced two principles which helped to establish a scientific foundation for therapeutics, which he saw as "a new era of pharmacology".

[1] First was the classification of drugs into a natural system" based on mode of action, through scientific experiment, statistical analysis.

[2] "If we translate our often obscure ideas about drug actions into an exact physiological language: this should, without doubt, be a considerable achievement.

Buchheim also edited the book, eliminating obsolete and ineffectual medicines and practices, while adding updated information, including a chapter of his own called Art der Wirkung ("The Mode of Action").