The lab

Until the 19th century pharmacists used to produce almost all drugs in their own lab. As with many professions, the industrial revolution brought radical change, also affecting the role of a pharmacist. Specialization and large scale production became quintessential in order to improve both quality and profitability. Small labs within local pharmacies were slowly replaced by multinational companies such as Pfizer, Merck or Carlo Erba.
 
Our museum’s big collection of historical lab equipment aims at highlighting the role that items like distillation kits or crucibles used to play in a historic pharmacy.