American Institute of the History of Pharmacy

AIHP Mourns the Passing of George Griffenhagen

We are sad to report that longtime AIHP member George Griffenhagen passed away on November 21, 2019, at age 95. Mr. Griffenhagen had been an AIHP member since 1949 and had served in numerous leadership positions at the Institute, including President and Secretary, for more than 50 years between 1956 and 2010.

In September, AIHP honored Mr. Griffenhagen with the Robert P. Fischelis Award for his decades of support for the Institute and his many contributions to the field of the history of pharmacy. Mr. Griffenhagen received the award at the 44th International Congress for the History of Pharmacy in Washington, DC, on September 7.

In bestowing the award, AIHP’s Board of Directors cited Mr. Griffenhagen’s decades of service to the Institute, his role in raising the profile of AIHP within the pharmacy profession, and his many contributions to the field of pharmacy history.

Call for Papers: "A New Social History of Pharmacy & Pharmaceuticals"

Symposium and Special issues of Pharmacy in History, The Social History of Alcohol and Drugs, and Canadian Bulletin of Medical History

The aim of this Call for Papers and ensuing special issues is to generate a discussion related to the underexplored social history of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals. This 2-day interdisciplinary symposium will stimulate/connect new scholarship as well as place a spotlight on emerging trends in the studies of pharmaceuticals, drugs, and alcohol more broadly.

Pharmacies are important social, political, and economic spaces. And many of the products sold within pharmacies (or apothecaries) exist at the intersection of legitimacy and illegitimacy, domestic and international markets, and medicine and recreation. Candy and cannabis, alcohol and cigarettes, in addition to multiple lifestyle products, are sold in pharmacies in the U.S. as well as abroad. Of course, these goods are in addition to other prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.

Recap: The Poison Squad, by Deborah Blum, Book Discussion

Presented by the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy, the Go Big Read initiative, and the Social and Administrative Sciences Division of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy.

AIHP had the pleasure of hosting a book discussion about this year's University of Wisconsin campus-wide Go Big Read book: The Poison Squad, by Deborah Blum. On October 31st, a group of readers from multiple disciplines including pharmacy, medicine, and history gathered to discuss the book. The group members shared thoughts, comments, questions, and concerns that were sparked while reading The Poison Squad.

FDA Historian John Swann to visit AIHP

Presented by the Social and Administrative Sciences Division of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy, and the Go Big Read initiative

Dr. John Swann, a historian from the US Food and Drug Administration will be on UW-Madison's campus later this week. While visiting Dr. Swann will host a public talk titled, "From Daffy's Elixir to Dinitrophenol: Medicines and their Early Regulation in America" and present a live lecture recapping his presentation at the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy's Annual Business Meeting.

2019 AIHP Certificates of Commendation Winners

The American Institute of the History of Pharmacy is pleased to announce two 2019 Certificate of Commendation recipients: Gloria Hartman Doughty and Alvin J. Schalow. Doughty, a pharmacist from Lexington, Kentucky, is recognized for her development and establishment of the Kentucky Renaissance Pharmacy Museum. Schalow is honored for numerous activities, including his creation of "'Doc' Schalow's Medicine Wagon Show," his role in creating Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Pharmacy's video series overviewing the history of pharmacy, the organization of two public museums in Virginia, and the establishment of the Alvin J. Schalow, Jr., Scholarship at VCU.

AIHP awards Certificates of Commendation to recognize "endeavors that show evidence of considerable effort, ingenuity and significance to the history of pharmacy or the promotion thereof." Doughty and Schalow were nominated for a Certificate of Commendation by AIHP member Marianne Rollings, and the AIHP Awards Committee voted unanimously to recognize their contributions to the history of pharmacy

AIHP Welcomes Social Media Coordinator Naomi Rendina

The American Institute of the History of Pharmacy is excited to announce that Naomi Rendina, a doctoral candidate in the department of history at Case Western Reserve University, has joined the AIHP team as our new Social Media Coordinator.

Rendina will help AIHP manage, update, and improve its content on social media platforms and on the web. She will help promote AIHP programming, projects, and publications, including Pharmacy in History. She has special responsibility for helping to manage AIHP's twitter account (@HistPharm) where she will share regular news updates about Institute events, as well as provide information about the history of pharmacy, drugs, and medicines more generally.