Oporto Pharmacy Museum - The treasures of 500 million years of the universal history of health
In the heart of Oporto, the Pharmacy Museum takes you on an unexpected and fascinating journey: a tour through around 500 million years of the history of health, where humanity is revealed in its eternal struggle against illness, in the quest for a cure and in the deeply held desire to relieve pain.
The collection, of rare artistic, anthropological, and scientific value, is organised as a true universal narrative. Here, each civilisation is presented through its medical and pharmaceutical practices, from the earliest traces of life on Earth, with pieces dating back 500 million years, to the present day. As you make your way through the museum you find cultures which are so different in terms of time and space, such as Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, the Islamic world, Africa, South America and Tibet.
[…] the Pharmacy Museum takes you on an unexpected and fascinating journey: a tour through around 500 million years of the history of health[…]
The exhibition itinerary at the Oporto Pharmacy Museum challenges visitors to start with the earliest piece – a 500-million-year-old Moroccan fossil – and then move on to objects that impress through their diversity of form, function and symbolism. Surgical instruments are a reminder of the technical achievements of the Roman Empire, while masks worn by healers and sorcerers show the spiritual and ceremonial side of medicine in different African and South American tribes, where health was intertwined with prayers, medicinal plants, and ancient ceremonies.
Some of the most striking pieces in the collection include ancient Egyptian vases containing internal organs, which show how people in that civilization believed in preserving the body for the afterlife as well as being clear examples of how medicine, religion, and cosmology have all gone hand in hand throughout history. Symbolism also features prominently: the snake, the universal symbol of pharmacy, stands as a metaphor for transformation, regeneration and renewal – an icon that has endured for centuries, adapting to different cultures.
[…] masks worn by healers and sorcerers show the spiritual and ceremonial side of medicine in different African and South American tribes[…]
The Roman world made a profound impression on the evolution of pharmacy, most notably with the introduction of glass for storing medicines, it having been realised early on that this material offered greater safety. Meanwhile, in the Islamic world, between the 10th and 16th centuries, pharmacy underwent remarkable advances: the Arabs were pioneers in combining chemicals and medicinal plants, using copper pots and mixtures of honey and sugar to make medicines more palatable, and decorating the containers with verses from the Koran in an ingenious strategy to win the trust of patients. It is no coincidence that the first Arab pharmacy was established in the 8th century, long before the first European pharmacy, which was only founded in the 13th century.
One of the most exciting moments of the visit is entering the extraordinary 19th-century Islamic Pharmacy, which was originally from the Ottoman Empire. Originally part of a palace in Damascus, this absolutely stunning space, with its exquisitelygilded decoration, encouraged people to stay, chat and take their medicine in an atmosphere of comfort and beauty. The pharmacy was acquired by the ANF (National Association of Pharmacists) before the Syrian civil war, thus preserving a heritage of incalculable value.
One of the most exciting moments of the visit is entering the extraordinary 19th-century Islamic Pharmacy, which was originally from the Ottoman Empire.
Similarly, the museum allows visitors to visit the Estácio Pharmacy, originally located in Oporto, the physical collection of which remains incredibly well preserved, transporting visitors back to its old Rua Sá da Bandeira location. Other notable pieces from Portuguese culture include a mortar bearing the coat of arms of the Portuguese Royal House and the counter that formerly belonged to the Hospital da Marinha in Lisbon, a space inaugurated by French troops.
Among the most extraordinary curiosities is a truly unique item: the medicine chest of the Russian imperial Romanov family, containing some of the most expensive medicines of the time, reflecting the status and power of one of the most remarkable dynasties in European history. Also on display at the museum is a reminder that, for centuries, barbers performed medical functions, advertising their services with bandages on their doors, which indicated that they performed bloodletting and tooth extraction. A barber’s basin for bloodletting, dating from the 17th century, from Lisbon, is an object that prompts you to imagine this somewhat gruesome ‘art’.
Among the most extraordinary curiosities is a truly unique item: the medicine chest of the Russian imperial Romanov family, containing some of the most expensive medicines of the time[…]
The history of the museum itself is an excellent example of vision and perseverance. In 1981, a group of Portuguese pharmacists decided that this heritage could not be lost. Through donations, acquisitions at auctions and a great deal of dedication, the collection began to take shape, spearheaded by Salgueiro Basso, a driving force behind this project. The Lisbon Pharmacy Museum opened in 1996, at the ANF headquarters, while the Oporto Pharmacy Museum opened its doors in 2010, at the association’s northern headquarters. The Lisbon venue also houses a more extensive collection, complementing the experience that began in Oporto.
More than a museum, the Oporto Pharmacy Museum is a voyage through human history, told through science, belief, art and the constant reinvention of knowledge. It is a place where it becomes clear that, despite cultural and chronological differences, the search for a cure has always been – and continues to be – one of the most profound expressions of what it means to be human. An incredible space that Villas&Golfe encourages you to discover.
More than a museum, the Oporto Pharmacy Museum is a voyage through human history […].
Text: Carla Martins
Photos: Ana Nogueira