Exploring the Intersection of Medicine, Art, and Heritage A Journey Through Europe’s Historic Pharmacies

There are numerous establishments across Europe where medicines were prepared and sold, many of which have preserved, wholly or partially, the original containers in which these substances were stored. The names of these establishments vary depending on factors such as their religious or secular origins, the period in which they emerged, and other contextual aspects. In these apothecaries, pharmacies, spezierias, and workshops, ingredients were meticulously combined to create complex formulations. These preparations can now be identified through interdisciplinary studies involving physicists, chemists, historians, art historians, botanists, geologists, and pharmacists, among other specialists, broadening our understanding of historical approaches to disease treatment and their evolution over time.

Since ancient times, one category of ingredients used for medicinal purposes has been pigments and other coloring substances, which also found extensive applications in the realms of art, rituals, and medicine. Examples include malachite, lapis lazuli, the Armenian bole, cinnabar, hematite, indigo, and purple dyes, among many others. This symposium provides an opportunity to explore the interplay between drugs and colors, tracing their development across different historical periods and cultures.

The physical-chemical analyses and historical studies conducted on these materials, such as those preserved in the ancient Spezieria of Santa Maria della Scala (Rome), demonstrate that the therapeutic knowledge of ancient cultures—Greco-Roman, Egyptian, and those of the Ancient Near East—remained influential in pharmaceutical science throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Similarly, the healing traditions of Islamic medicine, pre-Columbian America, and ancient civilizations of the Indus Valley persisted and reached Europe between the Middle Ages and the Modern Era. These exchanges have made these establishments a true cultural mosaic, representing invaluable material and intangible heritage.

The musealization of this rich cultural legacy—both in situ and through multisensory virtual experiences—promotes access to knowledge that bridges science and art. It also deepens our understanding of cultural syntheses reflected in traditions, customs, and beliefs about health and disease that continue to influence our daily lives.