The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London is one of the
livery companies of the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
. It is one of the largest livery companies (with over 1,600 members in 2012) and ranks 58th in their
order of precedence
An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...
.
The society is a member of
the London Museums of Health & Medicine
The London Museums of Health & Medicine is a group that brings together some of the activities of several museums in London, England, related to health and medicine. The group was founded in 1991.
The museums and medical organisations are:
*Al ...
and its guild church is the Church of
St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe
St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe is a Church of England church located on Queen Victoria Street, London in the City of London, near Blackfriars station.
History
First mentioned around 1170, St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe was almost certainly founded conside ...
.
The Society's modern roles include educational, charitable and social activities, in addition to supporting the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
, its governance and the
Lord Mayor of the City of London
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
.
History
Prior to the foundation of the Society in 1617,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
apothecaries
''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and Nor ...
were in the
Grocers' Company
The Worshipful Company of Grocers is one of the 110 Livery Company, Livery Companies of the City of London and ranks second in order of precedence. The Grocers' Company was established in 1345 for merchants occupied in the trade of grocer and is ...
(founded 1345, and whose trade was described in 1365 as the "Mistery of Grossers, Pepperers and Apothecaries"). In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Grocers, Pepperers, Spicers and Apothecaries were the trades constituting the Fraternity of St Anthony. Before that, apothecaries had been Spicer-Apothecaries or Spicers since the 12th century.
Having sought autonomy for many years, the apothecaries finally separated from the Grocers' Company on 6 December 1617 when they were granted a
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
by James I.
During the remainder of the 17th century its members (including
Nicholas Culpeper
Nicholas Culpeper (18 October 1616 – 10 January 1654) was an English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer.Patrick Curry: "Culpeper, Nicholas (1616–1654)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004) His boo ...
) challenged the
College of Physicians A college of physicians is a national or provincial organisation concerned with the practice of medicine.
{{Expand list, date=February 2011
Such institutions include:
* American College of Physicians
* Ceylon College of Physicians
* College of Phy ...
members' monopoly of practising medicine. In 1704, the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
overturned a ruling of the Queen's Bench in the "''
Rose case
''Rose v Royal College of Physicians'', also known as ''The Rose Case'', was a 1703 (also reported as 1704) British landmark court case between the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and William Rose, a Liveryman of the Society of Apothecaries. R ...
''", which effectively gave apothecaries the right to practice
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
, meaning that apothecaries may be viewed as forerunners of present-day
general (medical) practitioners or
family physicians.
The
Apothecaries Act 1815
The Apothecaries Act 1815 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (citation 55 Geo.lll, c.194) with the long title "An Act for better regulating the Practice of Apothecaries throughout England and Wales". The Act introduced compulsory ...
gave the Society the power to license and regulate medical practitioners throughout England and Wales. The Society retained this role as a member of the
United Examining Board
The United Examining Board was formed in 1993 to administer non-university qualifying examinations in medicine and surgery. The diplomas offered by the United Examining Board were registerable with the General Medical Council in order to register ...
until 1999; the Society could license doctors thereafter, but did so rarely since the dissolution of the United Examining Board.
Amongst the notable people who qualified in medicine as a Licentiate of the Society (LSA) were the poet
John Keats
John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculo ...
(1816),
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (9 June 1836 – 17 December 1917) was an English physician and suffragist. She was the first woman to qualify in Britain as a physician and surgeon. She was the co-founder of the first hospital staffed by women, ...
(1865, thereby becoming the first openly female recipient of a UK medical qualification) and Nobel Prize winner Sir
Ronald Ross
Sir Ronald Ross (13 May 1857 – 16 September 1932) was a British medical doctor who received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1902 for his work on the transmission of malaria, becoming the first British Nobel laureate, and the f ...
KCB FRS (1881).
The Society throughout its history has been a pioneer in the nurturing of medical specialist knowledge, including for general medical practice, obstetrics, occupational medicine, public health medicine, legal & forensic medicine and GU medicine, through its qualifications and educational programmes.
The Apothecaries' Garden, established in 1673 by the Society to grow plants to be used as medicines, still exists as the
Chelsea Physic Garden
The Chelsea Physic Garden was established as the Apothecaries' Garden in London, England, in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to grow plants to be used as medicines. This four acre physic garden, the term here referring to the sc ...
.
Motto and arms
![Emblem above the south gate of the Chelsea Physic Garden - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Emblem_above_the_south_gate_of_the_Chelsea_Physic_Garden_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1598420.jpg)
The Society was granted Arms by
William Camden
William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Annal ...
(
Clarenceux
Clarenceux King of Arms, historically often spelled Clarencieux (both pronounced ), is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Clarenceux is the senior of the two provincial kings of arms and his jurisdiction is that part of Englan ...
) on 12 December 1617, less than a week after receiving its Royal Charter; the efficiency possibly indicating some planning of the break from the Grocers' Company. The Society was not as speedy in settling its bill from the
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...
however, as payment for the grant was not directed by the Court until April 1620.
Described in the blazon of the Society's Grant of Arms of 1617 as "the inventor of physic"
.e. medicine Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
is depicted in the
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
with his head radiant, overcoming pestilence which is represented pictorially by a
wyvern
A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs.
The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, Unit ...
(a "serpent" in the blazon). Apollo was the father of
Asclepius
Asclepius (; grc-gre, Ἀσκληπιός ''Asklēpiós'' ; la, Aesculapius) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of ...
and therefore grandfather of
Hygeia
Hygieia is a goddess from Greek, as well as Roman, mythology (also referred to as: Hygiea or Hygeia; ; grc, Ὑγιεία or , la, Hygēa or ). Hygieia is a goddess of health ( el, ὑγίεια – ''hugieia''), cleanliness and hygiene. Her ...
(goddess of health, cleanliness, and sanitation),
Panacea
In Greek mythology, Panacea (Greek ''Πανάκεια'', Panakeia), a goddess of universal remedy, was the daughter of Asclepius and Epione. Panacea and her four sisters each performed a facet of Apollo's art:
* Panacea (the goddess of universal ...
(goddess of universal health),
Iaso
Iaso (; el, Ἰασώ, ''Iasō'') or Ieso (; el, Ἰησώ, ''Iēsō'') was the Greek goddess of recuperation from illness. The daughter of Asclepius, she had four sisters: Aceso, Aglæa/Ægle, Hygieia, and Panacea. All five were associated wi ...
(goddess of recuperation from illness),
Aceso
Aceso ( grc, Ἀκεσώ) was the Greek goddess of the healing process.
Family
Aceso was the daughter of Asclepius and Epione, sister of Iaso, Hygieia, Panacea, and Aegle.
Mythology
Unlike her sister Panacea (Cure-All), she represented the ...
(goddess of the healing process) and
Aglaea
Aglaea () or Aglaïa (; grc, Ἀγλαΐα, lit=festive radiance) is one of the three ''Charites'' or ''Gratiae'' (Graces) in Greek mythology.
Family
According to Hesiod, Aglaea is the youngest of the Charites, the three daughters of Zeus a ...
(the goddess of beauty, splendor, glory, magnificence and adornment).
His usual attributes are a bow and arrow.
The Society motto – which, unusually, is specified in the blazon of the Grant of Arms and is therefore immutable – is ''Opiferque Per Orbem Dicor'', a
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
part-quotation from Ovid referring to the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
deity
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
, meaning: "and throughout the world
amcalled
he bringer of
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
help". The full quotation, from the first book of ''Metamorphoses'' (Daphne and Apollo), which describes what Apollo says when he and Daphne are struck by Cupid's arrows but Daphne flees from him (Cupid - whose power had been doubted by Apollo - shot a golden arrow at Apollo but a leaden one at Daphne). This puts the motto in context and makes it particularly relevant to apothecaries:
''Inventum medicina meum est, opiferque per orbem dicor, et herbarum subiecta potentia nobis. Hei mihi, quod nullis amor est medicabilis herbis; nec prosunt domino, quae prosunt omnibus, artes!''
(Medicine is my invention, throughout the world I am called the bringer of help, and the power of herbs is under my control utalas for me, love cannot be cured by herbs, so the skills which help everyone else do not benefit their master.)
The Society's supporters are golden unicorns, and its
crest
Crest or CREST may refer to:
Buildings
*The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York
*"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York
*Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
is a rhinoceros. The unicorns may have been a compliment to James I, and the horns of unicorns and of the rhinoceros are reputed to be of medical use. The illustration of the crest in the Grant is based on Dürer's 1515 depiction of a rhinoceros, an animal which he had never seen but which he drew from a description, the dorsal horn may have been intended to be on the dorsum of its nose, rather than on the animal's back.
The illustration in the original grant of arms accords the Society the
helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
of a
Peer (noble), and the text specifies the red/white
mantling
In heraldry, mantling or "lambrequin" (its name in French) is drapery tied to the Helmet (heraldry), helmet above the shield. In paper heraldry it is a depiction of the protective cloth covering (often of linen) worn by knights from their helmet ...
usually associated with a Peer. This is specific and unusual, although it is not unique (peers' helmets are also borne with some apparent authority by the
Fishmongers',
Goldsmiths' and
Clockmakers' companies).
The use of the term 'Society' rather than the usual 'Company' is purely traditional, though – the charter and grant themselves use both terms, as do grants to other City companies (including the
Bowyers
A bowyer is a master-craftsman who makes bows. Though this was once a widespread profession, the importance of bowyers and of bows was diminished by the introduction of gunpowder weaponry. However, the trade has survived and many bowyers conti ...
,
Framework Knitters and
Fanmakers).
Apothecaries' Hall
![cmglee London Apothecaries Hall Great Hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Cmglee_London_Apothecaries_Hall_Great_Hall.jpg)
The Society is based at
Apothecaries' Hall in
Blackfriars, London
Blackfriars is in central London, specifically the south-west corner of the City of London.
Blackfriars Priory
The name is first visible today in records of 1317 in many orthographies. Friar evolved from la, frater as french: frère has, mea ...
. The building, originally part of the
Dominican priory
Dominican may refer to:
* Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean
** People of the Dominican Republic
** Demographics of the Domi ...
of
Black Friars
The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...
, was called Cobham House prior to its purchase by the society in 1632.
Much of the original building was destroyed in the
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Thursday 6 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past the ...
in 1666, including the Friary guesthouse, which constituted most of it, although part of the 13th-century buildings remain, including a portion of the walls, now incorporated into the north range of the hall courtyard. A new hall was built on the same site and completed in 1672 to the design of Edward Jerman; an "elaboratory" was included at this time for the first-ever large-scale manufacture of
drug
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
s. From then until 1922, the society manufactured medicinal and pharmaceutical products at their hall, and sold some of their products from a retail outlet opening onto Water Lane (now Blackfriars Lane). Many were to supply clients who included the navy, army, the East India Company and the Crown Colonies.
A major restoration and building programme was carried out in the 1780s, which included the
stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
facing in the courtyard and new west and south ranges. The Hall's appearance has altered little since even though it saw renovation in the 1980s.
The hall is the oldest standing livery hall of the city, with the first-floor structure and arrangement of the Great Hall, Court Room and Parlour remaining as rebuilt between 1668 and 1670.
Education, history, and qualifications
In addition to providing qualifications in, and regulation of, the trade of the apothecary and dispensing, the Apothecaries' Society offered primary medical qualifications until 1999. This began after the 1815 Apothecaries' Act, followed by further Acts of Parliament. The title of the original licence was Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries (LSA).
When the
General Medical Council
The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by c ...
was established by statute in 1858, the LSA became a registrable qualification. From 1885, the examination included surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, which were required by law following the Medical Act of 1886, and in 1907 the title was altered by parliamentary act to LMSSA to reflect this. The Society ceased to be recognised by the
General Medical Council
The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by c ...
as a provider of primary medical qualifications in 2008, although it had rarely issued any licences since 1999, the year the
United Examining Board
The United Examining Board was formed in 1993 to administer non-university qualifying examinations in medicine and surgery. The diplomas offered by the United Examining Board were registerable with the General Medical Council in order to register ...
was abolished.
Notable people who qualified in medicine as a Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries (LSA) include the poet
John Keats
John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculo ...
(1816),
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (9 June 1836 – 17 December 1917) was an English physician and suffragist. She was the first woman to qualify in Britain as a physician and surgeon. She was the co-founder of the first hospital staffed by women, ...
(1865, thereby becoming the first openly female recipient of a UK medical qualification) and Nobel Prize winner Sir
Ronald Ross
Sir Ronald Ross (13 May 1857 – 16 September 1932) was a British medical doctor who received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1902 for his work on the transmission of malaria, becoming the first British Nobel laureate, and the f ...
KCB FRS (1881).
Between the Apothecaries' Act in 1815 and 1998, the Society also set the qualifying examination for Apothecaries' Assistants or Dispensers.
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
sat this exam in 1917, studying for which is likely to have served her well in her description of more than 80 poisonings in her books.
Since 1928, when the Society instituted the first postgraduate qualification in Midwifery (the Mastery of Midwifery, MMSA), the Apothecaries have pioneered 15 further such diplomas in specialist subjects not offered by the Universities,
Medical Royal Colleges In the United Kingdom, some Commonwealth realms and Ireland, a medical royal college is a professional body in the form of a royal college responsible for the development of and training in one or more medical specialities.
United Kingdom and Irel ...
or any other medical body. This includes the diploma in the Forensic and Clinical Aspects of Sexual Assault (2009–14), the administration of which was taken up by the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine in 2014.
Thus, the Society's innovation may be seen to have nurtured the recognition and establishment in the UK of pharmacy and medical specialisms (and the subsequent founding of their specialist Royal Colleges and Faculties) including for General Practice, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Occupational Medicine, Public Health Medicine, and Forensic & Legal Medicine.
The Society currently awards
postgraduate
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree.
The organization and stru ...
diploma
A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...
s in the following fields (with year of establishment):
* Medical jurisprudence (1962)
*
History of medicine
The history of medicine is both a study of medicine throughout history as well as a multidisciplinary field of study that seeks to explore and understand medical practices, both past and present, throughout human societies.
More than just histo ...
(1970)
* GenitoUrinary medicine (1973)
* Philosophy of medicine (1978)
* Medical care of catastrophes (1994)
* Forensic medical sciences (1998)
* HIV medicine (2002)
In addition to this professional qualifications role, the present-day Society also sponsors students and lecturers at UK Medical and Pharmacy Schools, and organises courses and public lectures through two faculties: the '
' and the '
Faculty of Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine'.
Events and lectures
![Apothecaries Hall 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Apothecaries_Hall_02.JPG)
The Apothecaries have active event calendars for members, friends and the public. The Apothecaries' building is open each year to the public during Open House Day. The Apothecaries host lectures and dinners organised for the Society or for the Faculties. The ''Faculty of Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine'' hold two lectures each year which are open to the public: the Audrey Few Lecture and the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Lecture. The ''Faculty of the History and Philosophy of Medicine and Pharmacy'' hosts several eponymous lectures throughout the year. The lectures in this series are named after persons significant to the Apothecaries' Society and medicine in general: Monckton Copeman, Geoffrey Flavell, John Locke, Osler, Sydenham, Sir Hans Sloane, and Gideon de Laune. The Livery Committee organises regular events for members of the Society.
Archive
The Society of Apothecaries operates an Archive which is referred to as 'The Collection' on their website. In 2002, the Archive received Heritage Lottery funding.
Today the Archive is active with a "Friends of the Archives" group and a number of events throughout the year.
Many people use it to make enquiries regarding family history, the history of the Apothecaries' Society and other historical activities.
Due to its historical holdings, the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries is a member of
The London Museums of Health & Medicine
The London Museums of Health & Medicine is a group that brings together some of the activities of several museums in London, England, related to health and medicine. The group was founded in 1991.
The museums and medical organisations are:
*Al ...
group.
Members and structure
![Worshipful Society of Apothecaries](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Worshipful_Society_of_Apothecaries._Wellcome_L0005889.jpg)
At least 80% of the membership of the Society are required to be medical practitioners, and at least 85% must be medically qualified or registered pharmacists. In fact, the membership is predominantly made up of prominent physicians (rather than surgeons who, for historical reasons, are more likely to be members of the
Barbers' Company
The Worshipful Company of Barbers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, and ranks 17th in precedence.
The Fellowship of Surgeons merged with the Barbers' Company in 1540, forming the Company of Barbers and Surgeons, but after ...
).
The members of the Society are (in descending rank):
* The Master
* Two Wardens (The "Senior Warden" and "Junior Warden")
* 21 Assistants (and a small number of Assistants emeriti)
* Liverymen (Full members of the Society, all of whom are Freemen of the City of London. Liverymen are in two classes, "guardant" and "couchant".)
* Freemen (most of whom are "Yeomen")
* Apprentices (not technically members of the Society)
The Master, Wardens and Assistants together constitute the "Court" which is the governing body of the Society.
Members of the Court wear dark-blue gowns with gold facings. The Master and Wardens have chains of office and particular traditional robes – the Master's trimmed with musquash, the wardens' trimmed with fitch.
Liverymen are "clothed" upon attaining that rank (modernly with a solicitor's-type black robe and a blue/cream epitoge). The Society's only truly academic dress were:
* for the Master of Midwifery qualification (MMSA – ceased in 1963), a light-blue lambskin-faced robe with a blue/white epitoge
* a dark-blue gown with blue/gold facings for the Licentiate (LMSSA)
The chief operating officer of the Society is its Clerk and the hall is managed by the Beadle. The Clerk wears a black solicitor's gown trimmed with blue ribbons, and the Beadle's robe is decorated with miniature hanging rosettes.
Other roles in the society include the Dean (a senior member who oversees the educational functions), the Registrar (who directs the examinations' department), the Curator, and the Presidents of the Faculties.
Chelsea Physic Garden
The Society of Apothecaries is perhaps best known generally for its foundation in 1673 of the
Chelsea Physic Garden
The Chelsea Physic Garden was established as the Apothecaries' Garden in London, England, in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to grow plants to be used as medicines. This four acre physic garden, the term here referring to the sc ...
, London, one of Europe's oldest
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
s and the second oldest in Britain. After
Sir
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
Hans Sloane
Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet (16 April 1660 – 11 January 1753), was an Irish physician, naturalist, and collector, with a collection of 71,000 items which he bequeathed to the British nation, thus providing the foundation of the British Mu ...
granted the society rights to the
manor
Manor may refer to:
Land ownership
*Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England
*Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism
*Man ...
of
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, the four-acre (16,000 m²) garden became the richest collection of medicinal plants in Europe under the direction of
Philip Miller
Philip Miller FRS (1691 – 18 December 1771) was an English botanist and gardener of Scottish descent. Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden for nearly 50 years from 1722, and wrote the highly popular ''The Gardeners Dictio ...
. Its seed exchange programme, originally initiated with the
Leiden Botanical Garden
The Hortus botanicus of Leiden is the oldest botanical garden of the Netherlands, and one of the oldest in the world. It is located in the southwestern part of the historical centre of the city, between the Academy building and the old Leiden Obs ...
, led to
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
being planted for the first time in the
Colony of Georgia
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...
.
Jealously guarded during the Society's tenure, in 1983 the garden became a
charity
Charity may refer to:
Giving
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing
* Ch ...
and opened to the public for the first time.
The garden is a member of
the London Museums of Health & Medicine
The London Museums of Health & Medicine is a group that brings together some of the activities of several museums in London, England, related to health and medicine. The group was founded in 1991.
The museums and medical organisations are:
*Al ...
.
It is also Grade I listed in the
by
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
.
References
External links
*
Apothecaries' Rose Prize
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worshipful Society Of Apothecaries
1617 establishments in England
Apothecaries
''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and Nor ...
Medical associations based in the United Kingdom
Organisations based in London with royal patronage
Pharmaceutical industry in the United Kingdom
Pharmacy organisations in the United Kingdom
Apothecaries
''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and Nor ...
Pharmacy-related professional associations
Medical museums in London