Calling all medical history buffs! That means you, medical librarians! The New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, located in the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter, is a nationally registered historic site. Added bonus: some claim it’s haunted!
Louis J. Dufilho, Jr., the country’s first licensed pharmacist*, founded the apothecary in 1823. He sold it in 1855 to Dr. James Dupas, who took the apothecary into apothe-scary territory. Eventually the site was rescued, donated to the City of New Orleans, and established as a museum in 1950, preserving a vast collection of pharmaceutical paraphernalia such as glass medical bottles, antique instruments, and voodoo potions.
Please be sure to contact the museum before visiting to verify hours of operation and vaccination requirements during the pandemic.
*Jennifer Lloyd disputes this claim. Her 4h great grandfather, Francois Grandchamps, has a stronger claim. Check out this thesis from the University of New Orleans for more information.
Photo courtesy of New Orleans Pharmacy Museum.