AIHP is pleased to announce the Pharmacy History Working Group in collaboration with the Consortium for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. The Pharmacy History Working Group is a space for exploring how pharmacy has shaped and been shaped by science, society, and culture across time and around the world. From ancient materia medica to modern pharmaceutical giants, pharmacy has always been more than just pills and prescriptions. It is a profession, a science, a business, and a deep human endeavor. This group delves into the multifaceted nature of pharmacy: as a healing art, a site of knowledge production, a tool of empire, and a driver of global economics.
We intend to spark interdisciplinary conversations among historians of science, medicine, and technology, as well as scholars in pharmaceutical studies, STS, and medical anthropology. We aim to think across borders—geographic, temporal, and disciplinary—and bring together individuals who are curious about how pharmacy has evolved in various contexts, from colonial drug trades to contemporary AI-driven drug development.
Our regular meetings will feature a mix of book talks, manuscript workshops, roundtables, and introductions to the archive. We are accepting proposals for presentations/workshops for our 2026 meetings.
How to attend:
Visit CHSTM website, create an account, and request membership in the workgroup. Visit the CHSTM site on the day of the event and click the meeting link to join.
Upcoming Meetings:
Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 11:00 am -12:30 pm CST
Speaker: Lauren Thompson, Kennesaw State University
Title: TBA
Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 11:00 am -12:30 pm CST
Speaker: Laurence Totelin, Cardiff University
Talk: Beyond medical pluralism: Interactions between physician-pharmacists and other craftspeople in the Graeco-Roman world.
Abstract: While there is a growing body of scholarship on the ancient ‘medical marketplace’, that is, the plurality of healers available to patients in the ancient world, the interactions between healers and other types of craftspeople are far less studied. Yet, physicians and pharmacists, which within the context of this paper are considered as a single category, interacted with and relied upon numerous craftspeople in the exercise of their trade: potters moulded various pots; smiths created instruments and pans; woodworkers crafted storage systems; stone engravers inscribed medicinal stamps; perfume makers provided key ingredients for the preparation of medicinal products.
This paper examines several examples of these interactions between healers and other craftspeople: some are explicitly discussed by ancient medical authors, such as Galen; others are more implicit and must be teased out from our sources. The paper concludes that healers generally, and physicians in particular, were part of an ecosystem of craftspeople, in which hierarchies may not always have been those that we find presented in the works of medical authors.
Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 11:00 am -12:30 pm CST
Spring Semester Welcome Back Event: A critical reading of Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls
Host: Kelly O’Donnell, Towson University
Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 11:00 am -12:30 pm CST
Speaker: Audrey Ke Zhao, UC Santa Cruz & CHSTM Research Fellow
Title: TBA
Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CDT
Speaker: Ryan A. Kashanipour, University of Arizona
Title: TBA
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CDT
TBA
Wednesday, May 20, 2026, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm CDT
TBA
