Strides made in the comprehension of pharmacology and in pharmaceutical development which followed the scientific-industrial revolution promoted both the commercialisation and regulation of medicine. Once-common household preparations for the treatment of ailments ebbed in popularity after the introduction of modern prescribing, under the direction of consultant physicians.
Stricter regulation of foodstuffs and medicinal production in communities of the British Empire resulted in the elimination of many dubious and harmful ‘quack’ remedies which had been widely-spruiked early in the nineteenth century. A range of scientifically-identified medicine varieties produced during the last century are represented in the collection.