Apothecary Jars Collection
Given in Memory of
Leon A. Harris
December 19, 1959
The use of plant extracts for their real or imagined properties goes back to the earliest human societies, and we have only to recall the numerous biblical references to herbs, balms, and precious ointments to appreciate that the medieval physician was heir to an ancient body of knowledge concerning the virtues of plant extracts in healing, relieving pain, and sweetening the air.
A knowledge of drugs implies techniques for their extraction and purification. Depending on the particular plant species, the active principle had to be extracted from leaves, flowers, fruits, stems, or roots. We can infer that pressing, maceration, distillation, and somewhat later, extraction with alcohol were employed in the preparation not only of drugs, but also of perfumes, cosmetics, embalming compounds, dyes and pigments.
This collection preserves not only the wide range of herbal medicines and their forms, but also the beauty of the jars which contained these compounds. Some, such as basilicum and licopodio, display a picture of the plant itself, while others, such as the water hemlock, are more simply decorated.
After extensive research, we were able to identify most of these compounds, as well as their medicinal uses at the time of these jars. There were some for which we could not find any information. If you can identify these herbs or their uses in medicine, please let us know. You can email Helen Mayo, or call us at 214-648-2001.
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