Historical observational documentary series which recreates a Victorian pharmacy. The programme follows historian Ruth Goodman, Professor Nick Barber and PhD student Tom Quick as they recreate an authentic 19th Century pharmacy.This programme is interesting and well worth watching. It shows that the pharmaceutical world is constantly evolving. The Victorians had some excellent remedies and methods, and whilst cannabis and opium are no longer prescribed and added to medicines there are elements of both substances that scientists have recreated and we continue to use today.
The team discover the world of the pharmacy at the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1837 – a world where traditional remedies such as leeches, oil of earthworm and potions laced with cannabis and opium were popular and regularly used.
As the Industrial Revolution spread through Britain, so too did breathing related illnesses, due mainly to the thick smoke and smog. Nick Barber, Ruth Goodman and Tom Quick try some Victorian remedies on volunteers – will the bronchial kettle and leather ‘plaister’ work as well as modern treatments?
Ruth Goodman, Nick Barber and Tom Quick take on the challenges of the 1850s and 60s, a time when overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions had reached their peak, leading to unprecedented outbreaks of disease.