American Institute of the History of Pharmacy

American Institute of the History of Pharmacy The AIHP serves as American Pharmacy's historical society! Visit www.aihp.org

Another Staff Pick from the AIHP collection! 📖✨This week’s favorite artifact is an 1881 prescription book, offering a gl...
09/11/2026

Another Staff Pick from the AIHP collection! 📖✨

This week’s favorite artifact is an 1881 prescription book, offering a glimpse into how medicines were prescribed and pharmacy was practiced more than 140 years ago.

A small book with a lot of history tucked inside its pages!

What happens when chemistry and history come together? 🧪📖“Extractions at the Intersection of Chemistry and History” expl...
09/10/2026

What happens when chemistry and history come together? đź§Şđź“–

“Extractions at the Intersection of Chemistry and History” explores the connections between scientific discovery and the historical study of pharmacy and what we can learn when we look at both side by side.

Read the full article in History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals (HoPP) at the link in our bio!

💊 Staff Favorite ArtifactThis week’s staff favorite comes from Kristen, who chose this package of Cole’s Thyro-Strych Co...
09/08/2026

đź’Š Staff Favorite Artifact

This week’s staff favorite comes from Kristen, who chose this package of Cole’s Thyro-Strych Compound, an “endocrine tonic” produced by the Cole Chemical Co. of St. Louis.

The medication contained a combination of thyroid, strychnine sulphate, iron, phosphorus, calcium, and zinc and was marketed for hypotension and as a tonic stimulant. A package of 75 tablets cost just $1.00!

Artifacts like this give us a glimpse into how medicines were once formulated, prescribed, and marketed, and just how much pharmacy practice has changed over time.

🔎 Stay tuned for more favorite artifacts picked by the AIHP team!

💊 What can an unpaid pharmacy bill tell us about life in sixteenth-century Spain?In “The Payment Cure: Debts and a Sixte...
09/03/2026

đź’Š What can an unpaid pharmacy bill tell us about life in sixteenth-century Spain?

In “The Payment Cure: Debts and a Sixteenth-Century Valladolid Pharmacopeia,” Lara Barreira examines a historic pharmacy record to explore the medicines dispensed by an early modern apothecary and the financial relationships surrounding their sale.

The article offers a fascinating look at pharmacy not only as a source of medicine and care, but also as a business shaped by credit, debt, and relationships between apothecaries and their customers.

Read the full article in History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals.

đź’€ Staff Favorite Artifact: Poison Prevention Campaign PosterThis bold poison prevention poster is a favorite for its str...
08/28/2026

đź’€ Staff Favorite Artifact: Poison Prevention Campaign Poster

This bold poison prevention poster is a favorite for its striking design and powerful message. Created as part of a campaign sponsored by the National Association of Retail Druggists, it encouraged people to turn to their local pharmacist for information about poison safety.

Beyond its eye-catching design, the poster reflects the important role pharmacists have played in public health education and keeping their communities safe.

How has Chicago’s changing pharmacy landscape shaped access to medications across the city? 💊🏙️“Mapping Pharmacy Deserts...
08/27/2026

How has Chicago’s changing pharmacy landscape shaped access to medications across the city? 💊🏙️

“Mapping Pharmacy Deserts in Chicago” explores the history behind pharmacy access and how changes over time have contributed to pharmacy deserts in Chicago communities.

Read the full article in History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals (HoPP) at aihp.org/hopp-journal.

📖 New in History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals (HoPP)!“The Push for Practice Transformation of Community Pharmacy”This...
08/20/2026

đź“– New in History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals (HoPP)!

“The Push for Practice Transformation of Community Pharmacy”

This new article looks back at the Iowa Center for Pharmaceutical Care and its efforts to bring pharmaceutical care into everyday community pharmacy practice. It explores the progress made, the challenges pharmacists faced, and what this history can teach us about the continued evolution of community pharmacy today.

Read the full article and learn more: aihp.org/hopp-journal

🌿 Staff Favorite Artifact: Indian Cannabis & Red CinchonaWhat do cannabis and tree bark have in common? Both hold fascin...
08/14/2026

🌿 Staff Favorite Artifact: Indian Cannabis & Red Cinchona

What do cannabis and tree bark have in common? Both hold fascinating stories in the history of pharmacy.

These crude drug jars containing Indian Cannabis and Red Cinchona highlight how natural materials have played an important role in the development of medicine. Indian Cannabis reflects changing approaches to medicinal substances over time, while Red Cinchona connects to the history of quinine and malaria treatment.

What makes these artifacts so fascinating is the connection between past and present. They may look like simple jars of plant material, but they represent changing medical practices, scientific discovery, and the continuing evolution of pharmacy.

✨ Both artifacts can be explored in AIHP’s Digital Collection on our website!

Small jars. Big history. 🌱💊

We’re excited to welcome Amalia to AIHP! 🎉Amalia is joining us as a visiting PhD/PharmD Research Fellow through AIHP’s R...
08/10/2026

We’re excited to welcome Amalia to AIHP! 🎉

Amalia is joining us as a visiting PhD/PharmD Research Fellow through AIHP’s Research Fellowship program. We’re so happy to have her with us and look forward to having her as part of the AIHP community during her visit!

Please join us in giving Amalia a warm welcome! đź’™

đź“° Extra! Extra! Pharmacy news from 1922!This issue of The Squibb Message, published in December 1922, was more than just...
08/05/2026

đź“° Extra! Extra! Pharmacy news from 1922!

This issue of The Squibb Message, published in December 1922, was more than just a newsletter, it was a valuable resource for pharmacists across the country. Mailed to retail druggists, it featured industry news, public health updates, professional advice, business tips, and even ideas for holiday store displays.

Long before email newsletters and social media, publications like this helped keep the pharmacy community informed and connected. More than a century later, it's still giving us a fascinating glimpse into the profession's past.

đź“– Which headline catches your eye first?

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