British Society for the History of Pharmacy

07/06/2026

Enjoy a new release on our YouTube channel: Lucy Jane Santos on 'Radioactive Remedies: The Unlikely History of Uranium and Radium in Pharmaceuticals'

BSHP online talk delivered by Lucy Jane Santos on 29 January 2026

06/06/2026

The D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, marked the first time penicillin was deployed at a massive scale to treat battlefield casualties.
Allied scientists and pharmaceutical companies manufactured 2.3 million doses of penicillin specifically in preparation for the invasion.
Before the 1944 deployment of penicillin at scale, field surgeons frequently used amputation as a preemptive tool to prevent deadly conditions like gas gangrene and sepsis from spreading.

06/06/2026

05/06/2026

The June 2026 issue of Pharmaceutical Historian is here!

Contents:
- The Pharmaceutical Society's proposal for a College of Pharmacy, 1841-1847
- Apothecary jars as proxies for geological simples in the materia medica - fossils
- The 3 lives of pharmacist Kutt Rawski-Conroy (1890-1976)
- Between medicine and cosmetic: borderline products in early 20th century Germany - the case of Jehnol, 1908
- The Belsize Park Pharmacy, London, 1938-1960

Sent in hard copy to BSHP members, but available open access to all: https://pharmrxiv.de/receive/pharmrxiv_mods_00026676

03/06/2026

'Don't be nervous'

The baby has every right to be nervous in this situation, but perhaps Carter's Little Nerve Pills are fortifying him against the towering presence of the giant bipedal frog.

A sister product to the more famous Little Liver Pills made by the Carter Medicine Company of NYC, the Nerve Pills aimed to cure weak stomachs, indigestion and nervous headaches. 'Dyspepsia makes you nervous,' says the back of this trade card, 'and nervousness makes you dyspeptic; either one renders you uncomfortable, and these little pills cure both.'

The active ingredients declared on the packaging were extract of hyoscyamus (henbane) and extract of nux vomica (strychnine).

Trade card, probably 1880s, from ECU Digital Collections.

03/06/2026

Briony joined the Faculty of the History and Philosophy of Medicine and Pharmacy Committee in 2015 with a pharmacy history remit, drawing on her experience managing the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum and committee role for the British Society for the History of Pharmacy.

"In 2016, we ran the Faculty's first pharmacy history short course, and I have acted as course director for this ever since. I served as Faculty President during the pandemic - a challenging, but rewarding term of office - and was a member of the Academic Review Group that took a forensic look at the Society's academic offerings at this time! I'm also a current member of the Friends of the Collections Committee, and of the History of Medicine Course Development and Steering Group."

When asked about her most memorable experiences so far as a volunteer with us, she said: "It is always great fun to take part in the procession at the start of the evening lectures - the Hall comes to life, and you feel part of the continuum of over 400 years of history on the site. Otherwise, I love teaching practical sessions on the History of Medicine course or leading groups exploring pharmacy history collections in a range of London venues!"

30/05/2026

You have until midnight tomorrow to apply in this round!

Learn about and apply for the Peter Homan Award from the British Society for the History of Pharmacy.

30/05/2026

🤔 Did you know? In 1917, during the First World War, Agatha Christie passed the Assistants’ Examination at Apothecaries’ Hall, qualifying in a role equivalent to today’s Pharmacy Technician.

💊 The qualification allowed her to work as a dispenser at the Torquay Red Cross Hospital. During this time, she gained an in-depth knowledge of poisons, which later became a signature element in many of her famous mystery novels.