The Pharmacy

Outer Blog:
Walking into the Pharmacy museum was like walking into a strange new land. The large rectangular room was lined wall to wall with wooden shelving filled with bottle containing foreign powders and pill. In front of the shelves on either side sat long glass cases displaying strange medicine and medical equipment that looked as if it belonged in a torture chamber rather than a pharmacy. The tour of this strange unfamiliar place started with our spunky, boisterous and hilarious tour guide introducing the crowd to common aliments being treated here in the 1800's. Turing our attention to the wall behind us, he pointed out a picture of an older stern looking, white haired gentleman, explaining that he was the first licences pharmacist in the United States and ran this practice.

As the tour guide held up medications that were coated in chocolate, silver and gold, white powder substances that were poisonous, and needles made of lead it was difficult to imagine this being the most up to date medicine at one point in time. As the tour finished, the large crowd glide around each other all heading in different directions, some toward the arching doors leading to the court, some towards the shelving, some towards the small double doors leading to the streets, and others to the beautiful winding wooden stare case leading to the second floor. Wanting to see and learn more about this fascinating place, I followed some of the crowd up the stairs, the steps showing their age with a creek for every step. Rounding the corning at the top of the brings you into rooms similar to the downstairs, shelves lined with old bottles housing powered and pills. Glass cases organized by type of medicine, obstetrics, optometry, and so forth. Some objects in the obstetrics case actually resembled equipment still used today, the long metal object rounded on both ends for helping with c-sections, the metal speculums identical in design to the plastic ones currently used. Other displayed objects where far from the medicine used today. Three brown bottles, sealed with corks, and identified with fading labels were the most unique, medications for abortions that in too large of a dose would kill the mother too. This museum paints a great picture into past practices of medicine and gives a surreal idea of just how much it has evolved.y a tv,v.  Zcv,bcc kyti4i546i5777

Inner Blog:

Today through the pharmacy museum I learned a lot about how medicine used to be and really gained good insight into how they thought their practices were correct. Its pretty mind blowing to think that in the 1800's anyone was allowed to call themselves a physician. Someone with no experience could claim to be physician and there was really no way to tell if they were or weren't. Learning this information and especially learning about Louis Dufilho was how the city spoke to me today. As a nursing student and a prior corpsman I deeply feel that medicine can only get better through change and trying to improve ourselves. Obviously from what I described in my outer blog makes this Dr. seem like a quack job, but with medicine we do the best we can and work with what seems to have good results. The thing that really impressed me was that Louis Dufilho was the first licensed pharmacist in the US. This was not required, there were no fines for not taking a board, so he could have easily not have become licensed. However, this man, like many other historical figures in this town, showed integrity and a need to insure he was doing the best he could for others. I have seen that type of compassion in many historical figures in New Orleans and it was amazing to also see that happening here in the way of medicine. I feel like if we all just took a look at the amazing people who have helped throughout history to build this city and shape it, we could really learn a lot from them.