Field Trip: New Orleans Pharmacy Museum

Last month I visited the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum (research and geekout heaven!!!) and I’ve been meaning to share with you some of the shots I took from there.

Admission is $10 and touring around this historic building (and upstairs home) was worth every penny. A woman came in the museum during our visit and informed the clerk that she was the great, great granddaughter of the building’s first occupant and America’s first licensed pharmacist, Louis Dufilho, Jr. The building was constructed in 1823 to be an apothecary for Dr. Dufilho, Jr. and his family’s home upstairs. He sold the building and pharmacy to Dr. J. Dupas and his wife in 1855, who operated a medical practice upstairs and the pharmacy downstairs until 1871. The building was later abandoned and damaged from hurricanes, until the museum was founded in 1950. The collections within are primarily donated from local apothecaries and Loyola University.

An old soda fountain, common in pharmacies, for the dispensing of healing herbal tonics.

Bitters heaven. I thought about the history and the hundreds of brands on the market in the 19th century, which I read more about in Brad Parsons’ book on the subject.

Also, a bottle hoarder’s dreamland…

I now want drawers for all my herbs and botanicals…

More bottles upstairs, filled with vintage botanicals. Also an eyeglass collection, for those interested in specs.

Hmm…sounds like a tasty project, in the name of medicine, of course:

Comments

[Davey Hiltz]

Now that's fascinating. I wonder how it was back then when they gave you something for treatment. I would imagine it would be as big of a business as it is today. Then again, we have quite a high demand for healthcare. I'll probably visit that place myself eventually.