Dose of History – What’s New – Holiday Edition

The pharmaceutical trade magazine What’s New, published by Abbott Laboratories, is especially eclectic. Poems, short stories, and works of art are interspersed between articles discussing newly discovered substitutes for morphine and treatments for frostbite. Several notable mid-century figures, such as Ogden Nash and Robert Frost, contributed to the magazine. In addition to literary works, visual art also figures quite prominently. This mix of cultural and pharmaceutical topics make What’s New quite unique in comparison to other twentieth century pharmaceutical publications. 


The visuals for this post are selected from the holiday editions of What’s New, published from 1947 to 1949.

What’s New, Abbott, Christmas Edition, 1947
What’s New, Abbott, Christmas Edition, 1947
What’s New, Abbott, Christmas Edition, 1947
What’s New, Abbott, Christmas Edition, 1948
What’s New, Abbott, Christmas Edition, 1948
What’s New, Abbott, Christmas Edition, 1948
What’s New, Abbott, Christmas Edition, 1948
What’s New, Abbott, Christmas Edition, 1949
What’s New, Abbott, Christmas Edition, 1949
What’s New, Abbott, Christmas Edition, 1949
What’s New, Abbott, Christmas Edition, 1949

This Dose of History was brought to you by Leo Ryan, AIHP Intern.

Actively engaged in preserving the documents of pharmacy's past and developing materials for understanding the future.
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January, 21, 2026, 11:00 am (Central): Pharmacy History Working Group: Spring Semester Welcome Back Event: A critical reading of Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls, hosted by Kelly O'Donnell, Towson Unviersity.
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