They say that those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it. I can tell you that over my 30 years as a pharmacist I have seen many changes. So many new and innovative therapies have emerged and led to improved patient outcomes. I would never want to turn back the clock. In fact, I spend a tremendous amount of time making sure I stay current.

One of my favourite classes in university was the History of Pharmacy. It was an opportunity to see our understanding of medicines and their roles from a time long gone. In the “good old days” as Ed Yurek would tell me, the pharmacist mixed up concoctions ordered by the doctor and many were not based on large multinational trials, but rather on personal experiences.  As a matter of fact, when I first started, people would come in for a bottle of “Ed’s Mixture”— a cough medicine they swore was the only thing that worked. (Let me say that while I still have the recipe, the ingredients have long been discontinued, so please don’t ask me to make you some).

Many people will remember old pharmacy gems that were family traditions such as Dodd’s Kidney Pills, Aspergum or Pepsodent powder. For the past 30 years, I have collected these antiquated medicines and display them in the pharmacy. Most of these products fell out of favour as there was little evidence that they worked and, in some cases, they could be harmful.  For example, Kidney Pills contained a non-steroidal inflammatory agent which would relieve some back and muscle pain; but any new pharmacy graduate will tell you, it can greatly harm the kidneys.

By today’s standards, some of these remedies are almost ludicrous. Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup was a mainstay for young mothers up until the 1930s. This miracle tonic was promoted to calm small children, clean teeth, freshen breath, and relieve constipation. Sounds like a great product and the company boasted of a 50-year track record of satisfied clients. In 1906, due to an outcry of poisonings and contaminated foods, the United States enacted the Pure Food and Drug Act, which required ingredients to be listed. It was revealed that this miracle product contained dangerous amounts of morphine and alcohol, but still it took over 20 years to remove it from shelves!

So, while I love learning about the history of medicines, I don’t want to go back to the days of doping infants to get some rest. I’ll stick with modern medicine, thank you very much. Take care of yourselves and each other.

By Steve Bond, BSc. Phm