American Institute of the History of Pharmacy

George Griffenhagen Receives AIHP's Robert Fischelis Award

AIHP’s Board of Directors has awarded the 2019 Robert P. Fischelis Award to George B. Griffenhagen for his decades of support of the Institute and his many contributions to the field of the history of pharmacy. Mr. Griffenhagen, 95, has been an AIHP member since 1949. He served in numerous leadership positions at the Institute (including President and Secretary) for more than fifty years between 1956 and 2010.

The Robert P. Fischelis Award is conferred by AIHP’s Board of Directors to persons or organizations that have had an important impact on the field of the history of pharmacy or on the well-being of the Institute. The award is given in honor of the late Robert P. Fischelis, a gifted leader of the pharmacy profession and a generous benefactor of the Institute.

Former AIHP Council Member Grover Bowles Dies

AIHP is saddened to learn of the death of former AIHP Council Member Grover C. Bowles, Jr., who passed away on June 23 at the age of 99. Bowles represented the American Pharmaceutical Association on the AIHP Council from 1991-2005. The Director of the Pharmacy Department at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, for many years, Bowles was also a past president of the American Pharmaceutical Association, the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, and the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education.

Bowles first joined AIHP in 1953 and remained a member in good standing for 66 years. He regularly attended meetings of the AIHP Council for fifteen years as the representative of APhA. Recently retired AIHP Executive Director Greg Higby fondly recalled Bowles' "commitment to the pharmacy profession" and his dedication to serving on the Institute's Council.

Pharmacy in History featured on the Daily Beast

Research published in the latest issue of Pharmacy in History was recently featured in a post on the Daily Beast, one of the most popular news sites on the internet. Brent Arehart's article, "Erectogenic Drugs in Greek Medicine" was prominently discussed in a post by Professor Candida Moss, the Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology at the University of Birmingham (UK), who writes about history for the Daily Beast.

In introducing her post, Prof. Moss wrote that, "it might seem that between the contraceptive pill and Viagra we live in a new epoch, but a new study of ancient medicine reveals that we are the hardly the first to use drugs to manipulate sexual pleasure." Moss's post then summarizes, describes, and analyzes some of the research in Arehart's article about ancient Greek erectogenic medicines.

AIHP Awards Conference Assistance Grants to Four Early Career Researchers

The American Institute of the History of Pharmacy is pleased to announce that it has awarded financial assistance to four Early Career Researchers to allow them to attend the 44th International Congress for the History of Pharmacy to be held in Washington, DC, from September 5-September 8, 2019.

AIHP will provide the four awardees, Richard Del Rio, Barbara Di Gennaro, Lauren Klaffke, and Benjamin Urick, with complimentary registrations for the Congress and with three complimentary nights at the conference hotel.

History of Pharmacy Panel at ADHS Meeting in Shanghai

The Alcohol and Drugs History Society meets every two years, and its 2019 meeting held in Shanghai, China, recently concluded. The conference was host to new and exciting panels and papers. AIHP’s Historical Director, Dr. Lucas Richert, organized a panel called “Controls and Culture in the History of Pharmacy.”

Longtime AIHP member Dr. Patricia Barton (University of Strathclyde) presented a paper titled: "'Who takes the blame?': Pharmacists, Doctors and the Control of ‘Dangerous Drugs’ in Britain in the Inter-War Period," and AIHP member Richard Del Rio spoke about "Mass Production of Proprietary Medicines in the Nineteenth Century and the Modernization of the American Dual Market in Drugs.” Dr. Richert spoke about "Foraging for the Future of Pharmacy History," and Dr. Anna Greenwood (University of Nottingham) presented on “Boots the Chemists and the Networks of Empire: 1849-1940.

Pharmacy in History vol. 61, no. 1 & 2 Published

AIHP is pleased to announce the publication of Pharmacy in History, volume 61, numbers 1 & 2 (2019), a special issue in honor of recently retired AIHP Executive Director Greg Higby. This edition marks the first issue edited by new AIHP Historical Director and Pharmacy in History Editor in Chief Lucas Richert. Welcome aboard, Luc!

The lead articles include "Government as Apothecary: Civil War Pharmacy and the Common Good," by Michael A. Flannery and "Erectogenic Drugs in Greek Medicine," by Brent Arehart. The issue also features a reprint of one of Greg Higby's most important articles, "Heroin and Medical Reasoning: The Power of Analogy" and a selected bibliography of his publications. In addition, to celebrate his many accomplishments, the editors solicited reminiscences of and tributes to Greg's long career as an historian, editor, and scholar from fourteen of his colleagues and friends.