Tribute: Peter Homan

I was very sorry to hear of the death of my friend and colleague Peter Homan.

Peter’s background was in working for Boots’ pharmacies, but he became one of the stalwarts in the study of the history of medicine and pharmacy. A long-time volunteer and guide in the museum of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, he acted for many years as the secretary of the British Society for the History of Pharmacy and, unusually, served as president both of that Society and of the British Society for the History of Medicine. At The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, where he was a liveryman, he was also a member of the Faculty of the History and Philosophy of Medicine and Pharmacy. Additionally, he lectured on the History of Pharmacy course and was an occasional volunteer in the library. One of my particular memories was of myself, Peter, and the late Ann Lewis, former chief executive of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, exercising our rights as liverymen and freemen of the City of London to drive our sheep across London Bridge. For this, Peter and I ‘hired’ our sheep for half an hour for the price of a donation to charity, and duly marched across the bridge with the sheep on a lead. What’s more, I have the photos to prove it.

Peter had tremendous knowledge of the history of pharmacy and was one of the few people still capable of demonstrating rolling pills by hand. He was always willing to share his skills and he will be much missed by historians of medicine and pharmacy.

Nicholas L Wood, FRPharmS