Pharmacy Ball

There are several legends describing the origin and the beginning of the use of the vessel to refer to pharmacies:

During one of the landings in the framework of the invasion of Julius Caesar in Britain , it was decided to use the pharmacy, on the window of which were containers with colored liquids, to coordinate the troops. The pharmacist was promised to save life if he illuminates the vessels that will serve as a beacon for the troops. As a token of his appreciation, Caesar decided that henceforth all pharmacists would be allowed to put containers with colored liquids on the windows as a symbol of their vocation.

- , 1931

Note : Considering that the pharmacist profession was formed only by the XI - XII centuries , the journalist who published this story noted that “of course, further research is needed.”

Shops in the Middle East were located in the open air, and pharmacists placed their materials in difficult-to-open containers or containers that could have been precursors to pharmacy balls. Travelers from Western Europe , who admired these urns, created similar vessels when they returned home.

Note : There is no consistent evidence of the popularity of such vessels in the Middle East; moreover, they have spread mainly in English-speaking countries , and not in Europe.

The vessels were used as tanks for maceration , in which the organic material was soaked in liquid under direct sunlight, similar to the process of preparing solar tea .

Note : Lilian and Charles Richardson, collectors of pharmaceutical artifacts, argue that the origin of the vessel is associated with Britain, but sunny days in England are quite rare.

The owners of drug stores in the coastal areas filled the vessels with red and green liquids to show sailors where to get medical help. So they served as " beacons " of first aid .

In 1542, an act was adopted in England that allowed pharmacists to practice the treatment of patients along with doctors ^[1] . During the plague epidemic in London , while many doctors fled the city, pharmacists placed containers with colored liquids on the windows to point the sick to their shops. Unshakable pharmacists used bright fluids to inform the public that medical care was still available. Pharmacists may have seen this as an opportunity to improve their medical skills in addition to their altruistic behavior.

The vessel appeared in the process of merging the professions of apothecary and alchemist from the middle of the XVI to the middle of the XVII century . Pharmacists bought drugs in bulk and sold them as traders, while chemists whose profession developed from alchemy prepared and sold inorganic chemicals, for example, some mercury compounds . In order to draw attention to themselves and to designate the mysteriousness and mastery of their profession, chemists exposed vessels with solutions of substances at their shelves. Until the 18th century, pharmacists and doctors often limited themselves, using drugs of biological origin only.

Note : the version put forward by George Griffenhenger ( eng. George Griffenhagen ), a pharmacist and curator of the Smithsonian Institution , who conducted extensive research on the evolution of pharmacy balls.

For a significant part of the illiterate population, the vessels appeared to be welcoming symbols. According to the book by Charles Thompson ( Eng. Charles John Samuel Thompson ) “Secrets and skill of the pharmaceutical business” ( Eng. The Mystery and Art of the Apothecary ), allegedly Charles Dickens said that they were the only “bright and joyful spot on London ’s dark street and wet at night. "

Early American settlements were constantly lacking medical staff. Government officials, religious leaders, educators, and household owners served as medical advisers. Residents of Jamestown (Virginia) , one of these settlements, asked the supervising organization to send doctors and pharmacists. In large localities, pharmacy shops were established. The first American pharmacopoeia was printed in 1778 . Drugstores were warm and cozy rooms of the country, on the facades of which pharmacy balls were suspended, which by 1789 were exported to America. Since all the buildings had a similar structure, this unique sign distinguished the pharmacy from the bakery or gun shop. At this time, the design and shape of the vessels began to get complicated and develop.

Despite the fact that pharmacy balls are mainly represented in English-speaking countries, they have appeared in other territories, in particular, in France . Russian poet Yuri Odarchenko mentioned pharmacy balls in one of his poems:

The next most important unresolved question about pharmaceutical balls after their origin is the question of the color value of a liquid. Red and blue colors could indicate arterial and venous blood. It is possible that the vessels were filled with red liquid, if an epidemic spread in the city, the green liquid meant an ordinary situation. Pharmacists created bright colors with chemical reagents, often following a recipe book.

Most vessels were usually made of glass, sometimes engraving was used, for example, by etching . There were "multi-storey" vessels, collected from several vessels of different sizes, where smaller vessels served as traffic jams for large vessels. The vessels could be attached to a wall or hung on a brass chain. The evolution of the design occurred mainly due to the efforts of American glass manufactories. During the 1870s, pharmacy catalogs advertised pharmacy balls of various manufacturers, each of which offered its own design.

In 1869, inventor from Cambridge, Massachusetts was granted a patent for the Improved show-bottle design, which is a pharmaceutical bowl, most of which is made of colored glass, and the neck and base of transparent ^[2] . The purpose of this design was to eliminate the need to use a colored liquid that can settle inside the bottle and make it unsuitable for practical use.

By the beginning of the 20th century, new stores avoided using vessels and, despite numerous attempts to restore interest in them, they disappeared from American pharmacies. The renewed support of vessels in the 1930s led the introduce models with an electric bulb inside. In the 1950s, American Druggist called on pharmacists to return pharmacy balls to use, calling their concept the greatest trademark ever invented.

• Vessel Hygea

• I. Borisov. The whole world is a pharmacy (sketches for the reconstruction of the “pharmacy text” of Russian literature) // Russian literature and medicine: Body, regulations, social practice: Coll. articles. - M., 2006, p. 285–286
• Richardson CG. Charles G. and Lillian C. Richardson, pill rolls: A book on apothecary antiques and drug stores . Harrisonburg, Va .: Old Fort Press; 2003
• Helfand WH. Design of American pharmacies, 1865-1885. Pharmacy in History . 1994; 36 (1): 26-37
• McGee J. Piece on Pharmacy. Maryland Pharmacist . 1997 Jan-Feb; 73: 16-8
• Griffenhagen G. Signs and signboards of pharmacy. Pharmacy in History . 1990; 32 (1): 12-21
• Stieb EW. Show globe — beacon through time. Pharmacy in History. 1986; 28 (1): 52-4]
• Hammond CV. An international pharmaceutical symbol. J Am Pharm Assoc . 1972 Dec; NS12: 615,620, 632
• Thompson CJS. The mystery and art of the apothecary , by CJS Thompson. London: John Lane; 1929. p. 250

• The Secret of the Barber's Rod - f42 community
• James O'Mara Pharmaceutical Museum in Canada
• Beautiful Vials - Pharmacy Vials - an article with the translation of the information leaflets.
• Show Globes | College of Pharmacy - University of Arizona (Eng.) - Museum of Pharmaceutical College, University of Arizona .
• Introduction: Mysterious Show Globes of the Apothecary exhibit (English) - a virtual exhibition of the historical library of the Medical University of Southern California.
• The Apothecary Shoppe | Collect Medical Anitques (English) - photographs of antiques on medical subjects, including pharmacy balls.