History

Plaque unveiled to commemorate first female pharmacist to register in Great Britain

Fanny Elizabeth Potter qualified to register as a practising pharmacist with the then Pharmaceutical Society in 1870.…

Pastilles de Cocaine a la Tyrothricine, circa 1940

The pastilles were used in the treatment of mouth and throat ailments.…

Museum treasures: Lapis judaicus, from the Burges Collection of materia medica, 1745–1807

An ancient treatment for urinary disorders.…

Unicorn horns to treat the plague, c. 1745–1807

Narwhal tusks were believed to be unicorn horns and were thought to have incredible healing properties.…

Diphtheria throat swab, 1930s

Throat swabs were used to control the spread of diphtheria in the UK in the 1930s.…

Museum treasures: Hortus Siccus, 1718

A scientific reference book of pressed plant specimens.…

When voodoo and cocktails were the mainstays of New Orleans pharmacy

The museum treasure in the December 2019 issue of The Pharmaceutical Journal — Lydia Pinkham’s ‘vegetable compound’ — and The Scaffolds’ 1960s song ‘Lily the Pink’ reminds me of my visit to the excellent and interesting New Orleans Pharmacy Museum on t…

Taxidermy Nile crocodile, c. unknown

Having a taxidermy animal hanging from the ceiling of an apothecary’s shop — often an alligator or crocodile — seems to have always been a common symbol of the pharmacy profession, although nobody really knows how or why this came to be.…

Original Victorian pharmacy recreated in full at the Science Museum

One of London’s flagship museums invites visitors to Gibson and Son’s, a Victorian chemist’s shop preserved in time.…

‘Up close and medical’: RPS hosts hands-on event showcasing medical history

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s ‘Up close and medical’ event on 26 October 2019 invited visitors to gain a better understanding of the history of pharmacy.…