The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7312 p240
14 August 2004

Society summary

Museums exhibitions explore the colourful world of pharmacy

Two complementary exhibitions entitled “Carboys, cosmetics and chemists: exploring colour in pharmacy” will be launched by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s museum on 16 August. One is a conventional exhibition at the Society’s London headquarters and the other is an online exhibition that can be viewed here

Both exhibitions explore the links between colour and pharmacy and take visitors on a journey that covers ancient Rome, medieval England, Victorian Britain and modern pharmaceutical research.

The exhibition based at the Society’s headquarters draws from all areas of the museum’s collections, displaying glassware, ceramics, caricatures and materia medica. It will complement the other exhibitions in the building, Healing Science, a look at 1,000 years of pharmacy history, the delftware jar collection and an exhibition for 2004 on the German Hospital in Dalston.

The online exhibition explores a 1950s pharmacy to discover the history and colour that lie behind the objects and people there. It will also introduce visitors to the wide-ranging history of pharmacy, answering questions such as: why are modern drugs coloured the way they are? How did Julius Caesar influence the appearance of pharmacies? What medical experiment led to the invention of synthetic dye?

Briony Hudson, keeper of the museum collections, said: “This exhibition lets the museum show off the range of its collections.  By producing both an online exhibition as well as one based at the Society’s headquarters we hope to reach a wide audience and show how colourful pharmacy can be.”

The exhibition was designed by Hannah Selby, a museum studies student from the University of Leicester. Ms Selby said: “This has been a very enjoyable project and in designing this exhibition I have learnt much about the museum and the history of pharmacy. I hope the exhibition will catch the interest of people in the same way it has interested me.”

The museum displays are open to members and their guests during office hours Monday to Friday. The exhibitions are also available to view by the general public on Tuesdays between 1.30pm and 4.30pm. Visits must be booked in advance by contacting the museum (tel 020 7572 2210; e-mail museum@rpsgb.org).