Worshipful Society of Apothecaries
Encyclopedia
The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London is one of the Livery Companies
of the City of London
. Originally, apothecaries were members of the Grocers' Company (1345) and before this members of the Guild of Pepperers formed in London in 1180. The apothecaries separated from the Grocers in 1617, when they were granted a Royal Charter
, and during the rest of the 17th century its members (including Nicholas Culpeper
) challenged the monopoly of the College of Physicians.
The Apothecaries Act 1815
granted the Society the power to license and regulate practitioners of medicine throughout England and Wales. The Society retained such a role as a member of the United Examining Board
until 1999. Today, the Society grants diplomas in general areas such as Medical Jurisprudence, Medical History, Medical Philosophy, Forensic Medical Sciences including Forensic and Clinical Aspects of Sexual Assault, and in specialised fields such as HIV Medicine and Medical Care of Catastrophes.
The Society of Apothecaries is well-known due to its foundation of the Chelsea Physic Garden
in Chelsea, London, in 1673, one of the oldest botanical garden
s in Europe, and the second oldest in Britain. After Sir Hans Sloane
granted the Society the use of the Manor of Chelsea, the four acre (16,000 m²) garden became the richest collection of medicinal plants in Europe, under the direction of Philip Miller
. Under its seed exchange programme, originally initiated with the Leiden Botanical Garden, cotton
was planted for the first time in the colony of Georgia
. Jealously guarded during the tenure of the Society, in 1983 the Garden became a registered charity and was opened to the general public for the first time.
The Society is based at Apothecaries' Hall in Blackfriars. The original Hall was Cobham House, purchased in 1632. This building was destroyed in the Great Fire of London
in 1666. A new Hall was built on the same site and completed in 1672 to the designs of Edward Jerman. An Elaboratory was included for the first ever large-scale manufacture of drugs. A major restoration and building programme was carried out in the 1780s. Although the Hall underwent major re-development in the 1980s, its external appearance has altered little since the late-eighteenth century. It is the oldest extant livery company hall in the City, with the first-floor structure and arrangement of the Great Hall, Court Room and Parlour remaining as re-built between 1668 and 1670.
The Society, which is the largest of the Livery Companies, is the fifty-eighth in the order of precedence
for Livery Companies. Its motto is Opiferque Per Orbem Dicor, a Latin reference to the Greek deity Apollo
, meaning I Am Called a Bringer of Help Throughout the World.
Notable people who qualified in medicine as a Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries (LSA) include John Keats
, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
, who thereby became the first woman to gain a medical qualification in the UK, and Ronald Ross
.
The Society is a member of the London Museums of Health & Medicine
.
The Society includes (in ascending rank) apprentices (not technically members of the Society), yeomen, liverymen (in two classes, couchant and guardant), officers (the "Court" or "Assistants"), two Wardens and the Master. Liverymen are "clothed" upon attaining that rank (modernly with a solicitor's-type black robe). Those more senior have traditional blue and cream-coloured costumes, with the bedel's being decorated with minature hanging rosettes. However, the Society's only truly academical dress was a blue, lambskin-trimmed robe with an epitoge, being for the Mastery of Midwifery (this examination ceased in 1963; Trans Burgon Soc 2008; vol.8, 81-90).
Livery Company
The Livery Companies are 108 trade associations in the City of London, almost all of which are known as the "Worshipful Company of" the relevant trade, craft or profession. The medieval Companies originally developed as guilds and were responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling,...
of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. Originally, apothecaries were members of the Grocers' Company (1345) and before this members of the Guild of Pepperers formed in London in 1180. The apothecaries separated from the Grocers in 1617, when they were granted a Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
, and during the rest of the 17th century its members (including Nicholas Culpeper
Nicholas Culpeper
Nicholas Culpeper was an English botanist, herbalist, physician, and astrologer. His published books include The English Physician and the Complete Herbal , which contain a rich store of pharmaceutical and herbal knowledge, and Astrological Judgement of Diseases from the Decumbiture of the Sick ,...
) challenged the monopoly of the College of Physicians.
The Apothecaries Act 1815
Apothecaries Act 1815
The Apothecaries Act 1815 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom with the long title "An Act for better regulating the Practice of Apothecaries throughout England and Wales"...
granted the Society the power to license and regulate practitioners of medicine throughout England and Wales. The Society retained such a role as a member of the United Examining Board
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 as a medical practitioner in the United Kingdom,...
until 1999. Today, the Society grants diplomas in general areas such as Medical Jurisprudence, Medical History, Medical Philosophy, Forensic Medical Sciences including Forensic and Clinical Aspects of Sexual Assault, and in specialised fields such as HIV Medicine and Medical Care of Catastrophes.
The Society of Apothecaries is well-known due to its foundation of the Chelsea Physic Garden
Chelsea Physic Garden
The Chelsea Physic Garden was established as the Apothecaries’ Garden in London, England in 1673. It is the second oldest botanical garden in Britain, after the University of Oxford Botanic Garden, which was founded in 1621.Its rock garden is the oldest English garden devoted to alpine plants...
in Chelsea, London, in 1673, one of the oldest botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The 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. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
s in Europe, and the second oldest in Britain. After Sir Hans Sloane
Hans Sloane
Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet, PRS was an Ulster-Scot physician and collector, notable for bequeathing his collection to the British nation which became the foundation of the British Museum...
granted the Society the use of the Manor of Chelsea, the four acre (16,000 m²) garden became the richest collection of medicinal plants in Europe, under the direction of Philip Miller
Philip Miller
Philip Miller FRS was a Scottish botanist.Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden from 1722 until he was pressured to retire shortly before his death...
. Under its seed exchange programme, originally initiated with the Leiden Botanical Garden, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
was planted for the first time in the colony of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Jealously guarded during the tenure of the Society, in 1983 the Garden became a registered charity and was opened to the general public for the first time.
The Society is based at Apothecaries' Hall in Blackfriars. The original Hall was Cobham House, purchased in 1632. This building was destroyed in the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
in 1666. A new Hall was built on the same site and completed in 1672 to the designs of Edward Jerman. An Elaboratory was included for the first ever large-scale manufacture of drugs. A major restoration and building programme was carried out in the 1780s. Although the Hall underwent major re-development in the 1980s, its external appearance has altered little since the late-eighteenth century. It is the oldest extant livery company hall in the City, with the first-floor structure and arrangement of the Great Hall, Court Room and Parlour remaining as re-built between 1668 and 1670.
The Society, which is the largest of the Livery Companies, is the fifty-eighth in the order of precedence
Order of precedence
An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance of items. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments...
for Livery Companies. Its motto is Opiferque Per Orbem Dicor, a Latin reference to the Greek deity Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, meaning I Am Called a Bringer of Help Throughout the World.
Notable people who qualified in medicine as a Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries (LSA) include John Keats
John Keats
John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not...
, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, LSA, MD , was an English physician and feminist, the first woman to gain a medical qualification in Britain and the first female mayor in England.-Early life:...
, who thereby became the first woman to gain a medical qualification in the UK, and Ronald Ross
Ronald Ross
Sir Ronald Ross KCB FRS was a British doctor who received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1902 for his work on malaria. He was the first Indian-born person to win a Nobel Prize...
.
The Society is a member of the London Museums of Health & Medicine
The London Museums of Health & Medicine
The London Museums of Health & Medicine is an organization that brings together some of the activities of some of the museums in London related to health and medicine...
.
The Society includes (in ascending rank) apprentices (not technically members of the Society), yeomen, liverymen (in two classes, couchant and guardant), officers (the "Court" or "Assistants"), two Wardens and the Master. Liverymen are "clothed" upon attaining that rank (modernly with a solicitor's-type black robe). Those more senior have traditional blue and cream-coloured costumes, with the bedel's being decorated with minature hanging rosettes. However, the Society's only truly academical dress was a blue, lambskin-trimmed robe with an epitoge, being for the Mastery of Midwifery (this examination ceased in 1963; Trans Burgon Soc 2008; vol.8, 81-90).
External links
- Society of Apothecaries
- Richard Apps (Signwriter) "Letters are things, not pictures of things" - Eric Gill (1882-1940)" http://www.richardapps.co.uk/examples.htm
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/32445100@N03/3067594045/in/photostream/?reg=1&src=comment