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American Institute of the History of Pharmacy

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Madison, WI
American Institute of the History of Pharmacy

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

09/28/2026

Calling all Madison friends! Join AIHP staff at the Allen Centennial Garden today for the 5th Annual Plants as Psychoactives and Medicines plant tour 2:30-4:00 pm and learn more about Nigela, Angel's Trumpet, Ginseng, Diviner's Sage, Yew, Cannabis, Saffron, and Coffee.

09/25/2026

Meet Abby, AIHP’s Communications Coordinator! 👋

She enjoys finding ways to connect with diverse audiences and believes that clear, engaging communication can help build trust and make science feel more accessible and relevant.

We’re excited to have her on the AIHP team! 💙

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!

09/10/2026

What happens when chemistry and history come together? 🧪📖

“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!

09/08/2026

💊 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!

09/03/2026

💊 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.

08/28/2026

💀 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.

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.

08/20/2026

📖 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

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. 🌱💊

Address

777 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI
53705

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+16082625378

Website

http://www.aihp.org/

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