The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7240 p381
15 March 2003

Society summary

Museum's online exhibition

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's museum has mounted an online exhibition to commemorate pharmacists who have made an impact outside pharmacy.

Launched as part of National Science Week, the exhibition looks at pharmacists from the 18th to the 20th centuries who were involved with inventions such as light bulbs (Sir Joseph Swan), Worcestershire sauce (John Lea and William Perrins), table salt (George Duncan Bowie and George Weddell), custard powder (Alfred Bird), English porcelain (William Cookworthy), friction matches (John Walker and Samuel Jones), soda water (Johann Jacob Schweppe), soap powder (Robert Hudson), metal polish (Joseph Goddard) and fire extinguishers (Ambrose Godfrey). The exhibition includes illustrations of historical advertisements and portraits of the inventors.

Briony Hudson, the Society's keeper of the museum collections, said: "This is the museum's first online exhibition and, I hope, the first of many. The impact that pharmacist–inventors have had on our everyday lives seemed to be a perfect topic to explore for National Science Week. It's amazing how many household names belong to pharmacists!"

The exhibition will remain online on the museum section of the Society's website until the end of August. Further information can be obtained from the museum (tel 020 7572 2210; e-mail museum@rpsgb.org.uk).