Powders and Pills of Oldtime Pharmacists

Powders and Pills of Oldtime Pharmacists

Author: James R. Renno
Publisher: American Institute of the History of Pharmacy
Year Published: 1976, 2010
Slides: 39
AIHP#: ST55
Price: $20.00 ($12.00 for members)

Summary: The development of various forms of administration of drugs, particularly oral dosage forms such as powders, pills, and capsules.

Abstract: Since time began, man has turned to various substances from nature in the hope of curing disease and relieving pain. All of the ways in which medications can be administered make a fascinating story. But as the title of this talk implies, I want to focus on just a few of the oral dosage forms where the patient swallows the medication. Many of the soluble medications, especially chemicals, were simply directed to be dissolved or suspended in a glass of water. Powders could be dispensed in bulk, and the patient instructed to measure out a specific quantity, usually a teaspoonful or tablespoonful as a dose. Many medicinal agents were extremely bitter or unpleasant tasting, and this was a problem when giving medications in this manner. It was one task of pharmacists to devise ways of administering these drugs in a more palatable form.

Actively engaged in preserving the documents of pharmacy's past and developing materials for understanding the future.
AIHP News

AIHP Thanks National Association Sponsors

Read More
Subscribe

Join AIHP and Subscribe to History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals


Access the Pharmacy in History JSTOR Archive
All past issues of Pharmacy in History have been digitized and are text-searchable at JSTOR.


Note: Academic libraries seeking subscriptions to History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals should directly contact the University of Wisconsin Press.

Read More
AIHP Events

AIHP Calendar of Events

Upcoming events hosted by AIHP

November 6, 2025, 3:00 pm (Central): AIHP Annual Business Meeting - Save the Date!
November 19, 2025, 11:00 am (Central): Pharmacy History Working Group: Lauren Thompson, Kennesaw State University.
December 17, 2025, 11:00 am (Central): Pharmacy History Working Group: Beyond medical pluralism: Interactions between physician-pharmacists and other craftspeople in the Graeco-Roman world with Laurence Totelin, Cardiff University.
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.
February 18, 2026, 11:00 am (Central): Pharmacy History Working Group: Audrey Ke Zhao, UC Santa Cruz & CHSTM Research Fellow
March 18, 2026, 11:00 am (Central): Pharmacy History Working Group: Ryan A. Kashanipour, University of Arizona


 

Read More
AIHP News

Calendar of Events

Upcoming events of interest to pharmacists and historians of pharmacy, pharmaceuticals, medicines, science, and related fields.

November 13-16, 2025: History of Science Society Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
November 16-18, 2025:
APhA Joint Federal Pharmacy Seminar 2025, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
December 7-11, 2025: ASHP Midyear, Las Vegas, NV.
July 18-21, 2026: AACP Pharmacy Education, Grapevine, TX.




Read More