Point of interest
Natural Medicines
Plant, animal and mineral materials formed different parts of historical materia medica.
Content language
The Latin term materia medica covers medicinal raw materials used to prepare medicines. In this part of the collection, their natural origin is central. A raw material is something the apothecary worked with; the term does not describe a finished dosage form such as a tablet or ointment.
Materia medica vegetabilis refers to plant materials. Materia medica animalis was a separate category for materials of animal origin. The two Latin names therefore identify different sources of ingredients used in the pharmacy workshop. This classification makes the character of the collection understandable without knowing every individual preparation.
The museum's natural materials collection also includes minerals, displayed separately from this part of the exhibition. Several groups of ingredients illustrate the history of natural medicines. Here, “natural” describes their origin; the exhibition presents historical materials used to prepare medicines, rather than a prescription for treatment.
For children
An apothecary needed ingredients to make a medicine. These are called raw materials. The old Latin term materia medica means medicinal materials. This collection introduces their natural origins.
They did not all come from plants. Plant materials were called vegetabilis, while animal materials were called animalis. These words help distinguish two groups of ingredients. The museum also displays mineral materials, although they are shown separately. Plants, animals and minerals therefore provided different materials for pharmacy work. A raw material is an ingredient, not a finished tablet or ointment. The exhibition explores the history of their use.
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