We have a 19th century Apothecary Cabinet and Glass Bottles in our Science and Medicine Collection.
The cabinet is mahogany and contains twenty seven glass bottles of assorted sizes and colours. One contains the label "Methylated Spirit", and a few retain corks or glass lids.
An apothecary was a medical professional who dispensed medicine to the public. They are the predecessors of modern pharmacists. Apothecaries may date back to 2600 BC in ancient Babylon. Apothecary shops existed throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. From the 15th to the 16th century, the apothecary gained the status of a skilled practitioner.
Apothecaries dispensed poisons as well as medicines, and, as is still the case, medicines could be either beneficial or harmful if inappropriately used. Many recipes included herbs, minerals, and pieces of animals (meats, fats, skins) that were ingested, made into paste for external use, or used as aromatherapy. Some of these are similar to natural remedies used today, including chamomile, fennel, garlic and witch hazel. Many other ingredients used in the past, such as urine, earwax, human fat, and saliva, are no longer used.