American Institute of the History of Pharmacy

ISHP 2020 Newsletter Published

The International Society for the History of Pharmacy has published and posted on its website the 2020 ISHP newsletter (#21). The Newsletter contains plentiful information of interest for historians of pharmacy. Twenty-five different national and international pharmacy organizations provided informative reports about their activities in the last year. The Newsletter also contains an obituary of longtime AIHP member George Griffenhagen, information about the 2021 ISHP Research Grant, and minutes from the 2019 General Assembly.

The reports from numerous national and international pharmacy history organizations are replete with accounts of research projects, meetings, and other history of pharmacy activities from around the globe. Countries or regions covered in the Newsletter are: Austria, Belarus, the Benelux countries, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

New Podcast Series by AIHP Board Member Melissa Murer Corrigan

AIHP Board Member Melissa Murer Corrigan has recently established a new podcast series titled MelisRx Scripts, which "provides a series of lively conversations with friends, colleagues, and various leaders in healthcare, pharmacy, and beyond." Corrigan explains in the first episode that her podcast has historical roots, because pioneering pharmacy educator Zada Mary Cooper "was the inspiration" for the project. An 1897 graduate of the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Cooper subsequently became one of the earliest known female professors of pharmacy in the country while teaching at her alma mater. Corrigan relates that "when I first learned about Zada's trailblazing accomplishments, leadership, and innovation, I was truly inspired."

Corrigan has served in leadership positions in several organizations, and, like Cooper, she has often "experienced being the only woman in the room." Fittingly, the first four episodes of the MelisRx podcast feature interviews with women leaders in healthcare and related fields, who discuss and document their careers and experiences. In addition to preserving a record of the accomplishments of contemporary women leaders, most of the interviews also include reflections on the legacy and achievements of historical women leaders like Zada Cooper and Gloria Francke.

Pharmacy in History vol. 61, no. 3 & 4 Published

AIHP is pleased to announce the publication of Pharmacy in History volume 61, numbers 3 & 4 (2019), a special issue focused on the future! This edition marks the second issue edited by AIHP Historical Director and Pharmacy in History Editor in Chief Lucas Richert.

The lead section contains three articles about the history of cannabis. Matthew DeCloedt writes about "Human Rights Litigation and the Medicalization of Cannabis in Canada" since 2000. Lucía Romero recounts the story of "Medical Cannabis in Argentina," and Michael Couchman's article, "Medicine, Moral Panic, and the International Context of Canadian Cannabis," explores the longer history of the world-wide war against marijuana. Prof. Natalie Schmitz of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy provides a "Pharmacists's Perspective" about these three historical articles.

The Special Future of the History of Pharmacy Section contains essays by 15 historians suggesting possible futures for the historical study of drugs, medicines, and pharmacy.

AIHP Awards Two 2020 PhD Thesis Support Grants

AIHP has awarded PhD thesis support grants to Barbara Di Gennaro, a doctoral candidate in the Department of History at Yale University, and to Jacob Green, a doctoral candidate in the Department of History at UCLA. Each was awarded $2,000 to fund research for their dissertations.

Ms. Di Gennaro is working on a dissertation currently entitled “The State Drug: The Politics of Theriac in Early Modern Italy.” Theriac was one of the most widely-used drugs for many centuries—prescribed for ailments ranging from toothaches to the plague—but is now generally regarded as a fabled panacea.

Mr. Green’s dissertation, currently entitled “Recreation, Mysticism, and Anesthesia in the 19th Century,” explores the relationship between the discovery of anesthesia, non-therapeutic use of anesthetic drugs, and nineteenth-century spirituality. Mr. Green is investigating how the nineteenth-century practice of inhaling nitrous oxide and ether for their pleasurable effects led to the discovery of their pain-relieving properties and ultimately inspired the discovery of anesthesia by doctors and dentists.

Call for Nominations for the 2020 AIHP Glenn Sonnedecker Prize

The American Institute of the History of Pharmacy is now soliciting nominations for the 2020 AIHP Glenn Sonnedecker Prize. The deadline for receipt of nominations is July 1, 2020.

The AIHP Glenn Sonnedecker Prize is awarded to the author(s) of the best published article during the preceding calendar year about the history of some facet of pharmacy practice or pharmacy education in the United States.  The award comes with a $1,000 monetary prize.

Publications eligible for nomination for the 2020 Sonnedecker Prize must meet the following criteria:

1. Published in a peer-reviewed journal during 2019 (including electronic appearance);
2. focused directly on the history of some facet of pharmacy practice or pharmacy education in the United States (including the Colonial period);
3. represent exemplary historical research methodology and interpretation; and
4. be written clearly.

AIHP Vice President John Grabenstein Wins Remington Medal

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) announced on January 14 that AIHP Vice President John Grabenstein is the recipient of the 2020 Remington Honor Medal, the highest honor bestowed by APhA and the pharmacy profession’s highest recognition.

Dr. Grabenstein recently retired as Global Executive Director of Medical Affairs for Merck Vaccines. He was selected in recognition of his decades of excellence as a leader in promoting public health and wellness through immunization practice by pharmacists, as a pioneer in immersive leadership training, and for his contributions to military medicine.