Exhibition: From Nature to the Pharmacy

Location: online
Curators: Ana-Maria Păpureanu, Dr. Ghizela Vonica, Dr. Nicolae Trif

The evolution of pharmacy over time must be viewed in close connection with the development of human society. Nature, respectively the environment, has provided humans with many resources of plant, mineral or animal origin used for centuries as remedies. The collections of the Museum of Pharmacy History in Sibiu are testimonies of these natural remedies. The collections counting over 6000 pieces were initiated in 1949-1951 as a result of a Decree of the Ministry of Health, from that period. The decree constituted that all subordinate pharmacies and laboratories of profile must send to Brukenthal Museum historical objects found in their inventory before the nationalization. The pieces from the collections come from over 70 pharmacies, pharmaceutical offices, and medical institutions located in 32 localities throughout the country, but also through donations from individuals (Dr. Victor Weindel, Dr. Radu Ispas, Dr. Krauss, pharmacist Friedrich Salmen). The original sources of these medicines, utensils, containers, books and historical documents are Vienna, Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, Budapest, Stuttgart, London and Paris. The exhibition presents pharmaceutical jars, bottles and vials, dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, in which were preserved remedies of plant origin, essential raw material in obtaining them, but also remedies from mineral and animal resources. Due to the importance of these objects for the history and scientific development of today's pharmacy, the exhibition is inaugurated through an online seminar, which will be attended by guests from Australia, India, Algeria and Romania.