{"id":729,"date":"2026-01-28T21:19:29","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T21:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/?p=729"},"modified":"2026-01-28T21:19:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T21:19:29","slug":"pharmacist-and-pharmacies-changed-changed-utterly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/index.php\/2026\/01\/28\/pharmacist-and-pharmacies-changed-changed-utterly\/","title":{"rendered":"Pharmacist and Pharmacies -Changed; Changed Utterly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To qualify as a pharmacist in Ireland today, students will have to spend at least five years in university and undergo a very difficult broad training, coupled with exacting examinations. My grandfather who qualified as a pharmaceutical chemist as it was then known served as an apprentice for about three years, followed by about six months in Dublin before being licensed in February 1897. He opened Whelan\u2019s Medical Hall as it was then known soon after. He spent his life there. He died in 1932 and was followed by my father, also a pharmaceutical chemist, who died in 1967.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I qualified as a pharmacist as we had then become known, in 1973. Three generations and huge changes. My qualification was under the new university degree regime, but as a young pharmacist I had a lot of contact with older pharmacists and even at that time the moderation that we have now in pharmacy practice was only at the beginning. I am lucky enough to remember old practices and also to have been part of the modernization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a look back in time we find that pharmaceutical chemists were first regulated in 1851; the idea being, then as now, to protect people from spurious activities. Nowadays engineering and computer sciences play a huge role in medicine development and formulation. Back then it was herbs and oils and tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Herbal remedies have long been favoured in Irish home medicine. Ireland provides an abundance of medicinal plants, and knowledge of the healing properties has often been passed down orally through the generations.\u00a0 In the last hundred years or so, some have become the foundation of many medicines. For example, Foxgloves which produces Digitalis used as a heart medication, and Willow from which aspirin was originally derived. Plants such as nettles, chamomile and sphagnum moss were commonly used for various ailments. Nettles, for instance, were believed to alleviate arthritis and rheumatism when applied topically or consumed as a tea. Chamomile was valued for its calming properties, while sphagnum moss was applied to skin infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dandelion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Foxgloves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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How many times as children did we rub a wet dandelion leaf on a nettle sting to relieve the pain; this was an old-fashioned antihistamine cream. They were also known as pissy-beds, which did reflect that if ingested they had diuretic properties. We also utilised common ingredients found in the kitchen to create remedies. Garlic, known for its antibacterial properties, was used to treat respiratory infections and boost the immune system. Honey was revered for its healing properties. Apple cider vinegar was recognized for its digestive benefits and was employed to alleviate heartburn and aid digestion.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Martindale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When you practise in a pharmacy that has been around for over 100 years, there is a wealth of historic knowledge in old books now gathering dust in a corner of an old store. To me these are too interesting to dispose of as they reflect a different time in pharmacy practice. I perused a few for this article and found a formula for a soothing mixture for children. This was made at some stage in the pharmacy but is completely unsuitable for modern practice. The Martindale is an important reference book for pharmacists. Its modern editions are still used and there is probably one in every Pharmacy at least in modern electronic form. I have one dated 1936 in which most of the drug names are in Latin.\u00a0 There are thousands of different formulae for different lotions, potions, ointments and pills which were the mainstay of pharmacy practice at the time. These cures are no longer used.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Changed, changed utterly. I wonder what the future holds.\u00a0Hopefully, interesting times for pharmacists<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

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Page from the old Pharmaceutical books<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Whelan\u2019s Pharmacy<\/em>, located on Williamsgate Street, Galway, is known far and wide for its excellent products, service and advice. It is an old establishment founded over 100 years ago and has an exceptional record in care. It is a family tradition which adds to the business through experience passed down from one generation to another<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To qualify as a pharmacist in Ireland today, students will have to spend at least five years in university and undergo a very difficult broad training, coupled with exacting examinations. My grandfather who qualified as a pharmaceutical chemist as it was then known served as an apprentice for about three years, followed by about six … Continue reading “Pharmacist and Pharmacies -Changed; Changed Utterly”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[188,12],"tags":[252,250,251],"class_list":["post-729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-galway-families","category-old-galway","tag-herbal-remedies","tag-whelans-pharmacy","tag-williamgate-street"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":735,"href":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729\/revisions\/735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galwaysown.ie\/Galway%20Stories\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}