Experience the Life
: Trades
: Apothecary
More
than a druggist
In colonial times, the apothecary was more than simply a druggist.
An apothecary often:
- Provided medical treatment
- Prescribed medicine
- Trained apprentices
- Performed surgery
- Served as man-midwives
Apothecary practiced as doctor
A colonial apothecary practiced as doctor. Records kept by 18th-century
Williamsburg's apothecaries show that they made house calls to treat
patients, made and prescribed medicines, and trained apprentices.
Some apothecaries were also trained as surgeons and man-midwives.
The Pasteur & Galt Apothecary Shop on Duke of Gloucester Street
is the site where two apothecary-surgeons practiced. The shop features
copies of Dr. Galt's certificates in medical theory, midwifery,
and surgery, for training completed at Saint Thomas' Hospital in
London. A large collection of British delft drug jars for storing
medications line one wall, and antique implements for compounding
and dispensing drugs are also displayed, with some items original
to the site. Medications made from recipes in 18th-century professional
pharmacy books are also shown.
Some modern treatments based upon old remedies
Some of the ingredients that were used in colonial remedies are
the basis for modern medications. They included chalk for heartburn,
calamine for skin irritations, and cinchona bark for fevers. Later
it was discovered that cinchona bark contains quinine for malaria
and quinidine for cardiac conditions.
Expensive treatment led people to self-diagnose and
treat
Medical treatment was expensive and individuals frequently diagnosed
their own problems and compounded medications guided by tradition,
folklore, or domestic medical books. Headaches were often treated
by vinegar of roses, a home remedy made of rose petals steeped in
vinegar and applied topically.
Williamsburg apothecaries also sold cooking spices, candles, salad
oil, anchovies, toothbrushes, and tobacco, making them true precursors
of today's drugstores.
For further reading:
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Historic Triangle