Pills and Potions at the Niagara Apothecary

Summary

In 1964, pharmacist E. W. Field, closed his practice in Niagara-on-the-Lake due to ill health. This pharmacy had been in operation for a total of 156 years by 6 pharmacists, 5 of whom had been apprenticed to their predecessors. Re-opened in 1971 as an authentic restoration of an 1866 pharmacy, the building is owned by the Ontario Heritage Trust and curated by the Ontario College of Pharmacists. Several archaeological investigations have taken place in the rear yard of the apothecary, most recently in 2016 with further work planned in 2017. The excavation of a large pit feature recovered hundreds of pharmaceutical bottles dating from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. This assemblage allows for discussion on the role of the pharmacist in a small community as well as allowing observations to be made regarding the community’s behavior and social needs with this service over time particularly in response to disease. The local apothecary was part of an old tradition, that of being a medical advisor and this site has a wealth of historical records and archaeological data to review developments in the context of broader topics of health, disease and medicine in small town Ontario.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeological Perspectives toward Medicine and Global Health   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16143