Page 9 - Pharmacy History 31 Mar 2007

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the Chelsea PG was established. Pisa PG contains a wealth of historical pharmaceutically important plants and much important work continues today in association with several Faculties of the University of Pisa.
A surprise was a conducted visit of particularly beautiful, detailed and historically significant wax models
in the Museo Botanico. These were created originally to study plant reproduction and are amongst a fascinating collection of items relevant to the early history of Pisa PG. Visiting Florence must include a
visit to one of the oldest pharmacies in the world, the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di
Santa Maria Novella (1221). Dominican friars cultivated
herbs for medications used in their infirmary and
in 1612 a pharmacy was opened to the public. By the 18th century the fame of the pharmacy’s formulations had spread to Russia, the Indies and China. One of its most famous products was the Accua della Regina produced for Catherine de Medici. Later, as Queen
of France she introduced
this to Paris where it became
known as Eau de la Reine.
Then, an Italian, Giovanni Paolo Feminis moved to Cologne, taking the formula with him. Hence Eau
de Cologne was established. We were treated to an interesting guided tour (in Italian) of historic pharmaceutical equipment, as well as old records
and prescription books. A cultural program – of concerts, exhibitions and presentations is held in a beautifully frescoed room that was originally a church.
Hospitals are part of any medical tour and in Florence one of the oldest hospitals is S. Maria Nuova. At the time of its establishment by the Florentine Republic in 1321, pharmacology was taught in its School of Medicine. Stationes
(i.e. pharmacies) were instituted, demonstrating the close relationship
between the School of Medicine
and Herbalists. In addition, the prescriptions for remedies existing
at that time were collected into the Nuovo Receptario (The New Book
of Prescriptions published in 1490), considered the first pharmacopoeia. Interest in pharmacology continues at S. Maria Nouva. A chance meeting with the head of Emergency Surgery led to an absorbing tour and historic review of the hospital. This included links with Leonardo da Vinci (who did dissection here) and Martin Luther (who stopped by with renal colic).
frescoes painted in 1440-44. In the basement was an exhibition of ancient Egyptian pharmacy and medicine with perfumes, aromatic substances, fragrances and antibacterial salves and ointments.
In Genoa we saw the Church of San Giovanni di Pre, built in 1180 by the Hospital Knights of Saint John from Jerusalem. The complex of two Churches and Commendan, welcomed and gave shelter to the Knights (returning from the Holy Land), pilgrims and travellers. Grasse is the home of numerous perfume factories including
Parfumerie Fragonard,
making perfume since 1782. A factory and museum tour, showed much of the way that the manufacture of perfume historically evolved from the creation of medicines Montpellier is famous for its University and a Medical Faculty
that goes back to the 10th century and was probably founded by Arab or Jewish doctors trained in Spain,
demonstrating a close
association between Iberian and Islamic medical tradition. An
edict from 1180 allowed any licensed physician to teach at Montpellier, leading to a proliferation of excellent teachers. Petrarch began his studies here. Rabelais (1493-1553) was both a student and teacher at the medical school. Nostradamus (1503-1566), forced to leave Avignon by plague, worked as an apothecary and then studied medicine at the University of Montpellier in 1529. However he was expelled when it was discovered that he had been an apothecary, a manual trade expressly banned by university statutes. His expulsion document
still exists in the university library. He became famous for creating a ‘rose pill’ that supposedly protected against plague. Baretti, in 1760,
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volume 3 ■ no 31 ■ MARCH 2007
Pharmacy History Australia ■ 9
15th Century buildings at Hotel Dieu, Beune
Close to the Uffizi Museum is
the Museo di Storia della Scienza, offering much of interest, including two original telescopes made by Galileo Galilei. In several rooms the historical development of pharmacy
is illustrated through displays of
glass and ceramic containers (many from S. Maria Nuova Hospital), retorts, mortars and pestles, portable pharmacies, weights and measures. The highlight of a day in Siena was a visit to Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala, a hospital founded in the 9th century for pilgrims travelling the Via Francigena to Rome. Until a few years ago, a functioning hospital, it is now restored as a museum. The Sala del Pellegrinaio opens a window onto the history of the hospital and medical attention within it, through delightful