The Development of Museums of Pharmacy in Post-Soviet Countries

Abstract

Pharmacy museums play a significant role in the study of the history of medicine and pharmacy. They have spread all over the world, ranging from large enterprises to small and local—often private institutions—that have limited budgets and rely on volunteers for curators and guides. My research focuses on narratives at the museums of pharmacy in former Soviet countries. The region in question is a unique blend of Eastern and Western medical traditions. The area’s rich medico-pharmaceutical heritage includes pharmaceutical practices based on the works of Avicenna, a native of modern-day Uzbekistan, whom Uzbeks consider to be the father of their medicine and pharmacy. Other healing traditions encompass Central Asian folk and shamanic practices, herb pharmaceuticals, and Soviet medicine and pharmacy. This paper analyzes the content and the reliability of post-Soviet pharmacy museums.