Health and Pharmacy Museum | Lisboa, Portugal

Museu da Farmacia

The Health and Pharmacy Museum of Lisbon offers visitors a fascinating journey through 5,000 years of medical and pharmaceutical history. Its collection includes rare and valuable objects from ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, as well as from the Inca and Aztec empires, the Islamic world, Africa, Tibet, China, and Japan. Highlights include an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, symbolizing the search for immortality, and the iconic costume of a plague doctor, representing efforts to combat one of history’s most devastating pandemics. The museum also features carefully reconstructed historical settings, showcasing the evolution of Portuguese pharmacy from the late 15th century to the present day. Visitors can explore a recreated 18th-century pharmacy, an early 20th-century liberal pharmacy, and even a traditional Macanese pharmacy from the late 19th century. A section is dedicated to military medicine, and the exhibition concludes with modern innovations, including portable pharmacies and a NASA first-aid kit used aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The museum effectively bridges ancient practices with modern advances, offering a compelling perspective on the history of healing.