American Institute of the History of Pharmacy

AIHP Awards 2021 George Urdang Medal to Olivier Lafont

AIHP Historical Director Lucas Richert, PhD, today announced that Olivier Lafont has been selected to receive the George Urdang Medal, AIHP’s most prestigious award.

AIHP awards the George Urdang Medal biennially to recognize the lifetime achievements of a person who, over a sustained period, has made important scholarly contributions to the field of the history of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals. The award honors Professor George Urdang (1882–1960), a pioneering historian of pharmacy in Germany and the United States, and AIHP’s founding Director.

Olivier Lafont, a pharmacist, was a Professor of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Rouen (France) until 2019. He has published eight books, more than 90 historical articles, and about 100 scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals, all in the area of the history of science and pharmacy. He is perhaps best known for his publications on medicinal botanicals in the 17th and 18th centuries, the history of apothecaries, and research on majolica pharmacy jars. His book, Dictionary of the History of Pharmacy - from the Origins to the Late Nineteenth Century (2003) has become a standard reference in France.

Remembering Glenn Sonnedecker

Glenn Sonnedecker (1917–2021), a leading historian of pharmacy and a former Director of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy, died on June 25, 2021 at the age of 103.

In a special tribute to “Glenn,” as he was known to all of us at the Institute, AIHP’s President, W. Clarke Ridgway, noted his many contributions:

The world-wide history of pharmacy community mourns the passing of Glenn Sonnedecker—for over 70 years the face of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy. Revered by colleagues across our country and around the globe, Glenn represented the very best of American pharmacy history. Author, researcher, teacher, AIHP leader, passionate proponent of the discipline, mentor, gentleman, friend to all, Glenn will be greatly missed but fondly remembered by all who knew him.

During the second half of the twentieth century, few historians of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals contributed more to the field. John Parascandola, PhD, who succeeded Glenn as AIHP’s Director in 1973, described him as “a giant in the field.” He was a true scholar, a man with a deep and probing intellect, and a mentor to a generation of historians. One such mentee, Gregory J. Higby, PhD, AIHP’s former Executive Director, described Glenn as “my role model as a pharmacist-historian. He exemplified thorough historical method combined with pharmaceutical knowledge and professionalism.”

Pharmacy in History Interview—Rachael Pymm, "Transmitting Medical Exotica"

This post is from Points, the joint blog of AIHP and the Alcohol and Drugs History Society. Points publishes original reflections about the history of drugs, medicines, alcohol, pharmacy, and their allied fields.

Article Abstract:

Snakestones, purported to naturally generate in the head of a snake, were reputed to be a cure for snakebites in the early modern world. Against the backdrop of European exoticism, which influenced the circulation of pharmaceutical and medical knowledge, snakestones became a subject of popular and scholarly interest during the late seventeenth century. Analyzing unpublished archival evidence, this paper considers the circumstances of the 1664 transmission of an individual snakestone from Batavia, Indonesia, to the Royal Society in London, England. 

Tell readers a little bit about yourself:

I’m an independent scholar based in the UK, and I work in Professional Services at a university. I have a broad range of academic interests, including the history of medicine. I have been researching unusual animal-based materia medica—particularly snakestones—for a number of years, alongside my work and family commitments. Researching in this way can be challenging, particularly in terms of time management, but I really love my subject. And I have a very supportive family most of whom—including my six year old son—are now fully conversant in snakestone lore!

Read the rest of this interview on Points.

AIHP Awards 2021 Certificates of Commendation

AIHP is pleased to announce that it has awarded 2021 Certificates of Commendation to five individuals and one organization for their notable contributions to the history of pharmacy.

The Institute’s Certificate of Commendation program recognizes projects and contributions that have either advanced knowledge or understanding of the history of pharmacy or that have used the history of pharmacy to educate, inform, entertain, or to address or advance understanding of contemporary issues.

The 2021 Certificate of Commendation honorees are:

• John Schreiner
• Robin R. Kipps
• Therese Poirier
• Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy
• Ben Urick and Christian Asia Brown

Click the "read more" button below for additional information about the awardees and to learn more about their projects or activities related to the history of pharmacy.

Pharmacy in History vol. 62, no. 3 & 4 Published

AIHP is pleased to announce the publication of Pharmacy in History volume 62, numbers 3 & 4 (2020)—the final issue to be self-published by AIHP under the title Pharmacy in History. Beginning in 2021, AIHP has partnered with the University of Wisconsin Press to publish its academic journal, which, going forward, has adopted the new title of History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals.

The lead article by Dr. Katherine Badertscher and Dr. Christoper J. Rutty, "Insulin at 100: Indianapolis, Toronto, Woods Hole, and the 'Insulin Road'," explores the timely subject of industrial-academic partnerships for the large-scale production of medicines and pharmaceuticals. Rachael Pymm's article, "Transmitting Medical Exotica: Louis Philiberto Vernatti, the Snakestone, and the Royal Society," investigates the circulation of medical and pharmaceutical knowledge in the early modern world.

In her article, "The Development of Museums of Pharmacy in Post-Soviet Countries," Katarzyna Jarosz analyzes how museums of pharmacy in several former Soviet Republics document, exhibit, and explain the history of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals to researchers and visitors. Dr. Oliver Kahl's research note, "'From the Writings of an Indian Women': Pharmaceutical Fragments of a Lost Ayurvedic Text on Gynecology, Preserved in a Ninth-Century Arabic Medical Compendium," recounts a fascinating story about the inter-cultural exchange of ancient pharmaceutical knowledge.

Watch 2021 Kreminar Videos

In May and June of 2021, AIHP hosted and helped organize the second annual Edward Kremers Seminar in the History of Pharmacy & Drugs. The Summer 2021 “Kreminar” explored the theme of Opiates & Opioids and featured six virtual seminars.

All of the recorded lectures and presentations are now available to watch for free on the Summer 2021 Kreminar home page or on the AIHP YouTube Channel.

The six virtual Kreminars were:

• Dr. Benjamin Breen: “Three Ways of Looking at Opium: Flower, Latex, Pharmaceutical.”
• Dr. Diana S. Kim: “Empires of Vice: The Rise of Opium Prohibition Across Southeast Asia.”
• Dr. Daniel Skinner in conversation with Kerri Mongenel: “The Humanity of Addiction: What We Can Learn from Families, Educators, and Practitioners”
• Dr. Nancy Campbell and Dr. David Herzberg: “Unexpected Histories of Opioids and Overdose.”
• Dr. James Bradford: “Poppy Politics: Drugs in Afghanistan, Past and Present.”
• Maia Szalavitz: “Undoing Drugs: Harm Reduction, Opioids and the Future of Addiction.”

The 2021 Kreminar series drew between 50 and 70 attendees for each virtual event for a total attendance of 327 people across the six webinars.

Click the Read More button below to see all recorded lectures and presentations on the Summer 2021 Kreminar home page.