The Mystery and Art of the Apothecary
$20.00
The original 1928 edition, meticulously preserved. This edition moves beyond the sterile, mass-market reproductions often found today to bring you a premium Collector’s Facsimile. Every page maintains the historical pagination and aesthetic of the source text, paired with a bespoke cover design unique to this imprint.
The Mystery and Art of the Apothecary is a historical study of the development of pharmacy and medicinal practice from antiquity through the early modern period, tracing the apothecary’s role across Babylonian, Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Roman, Arab, and European traditions. Drawing on classical texts, medical papyri, religious sources, and material evidence, C. J. S. Thompson examines how empirical knowledge of herbs, minerals, and compounds emerged alongside ritual, symbolism, and superstition, gradually forming a distinct professional craft. The work documents methods of drug preparation, administration, weights and measures, shop practices, and the social position of the apothecary, situating pharmacy within broader intellectual, religious, and commercial histories. First published in 1929, the book reflects early twentieth-century scholarship while preserving extensive primary detail on the origins of materia medica and the institutional foundations of pharmaceutical practice.
