The Danish Collec ion o he His o y o Pha macy:
A Wo king Museum
by Poul R. K use
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The Danish Collec ion o he His o y o Pha macy is housed a Pha makon in Hille oed, he
Danish Pha maceu ical Associa ion’s con e ence and aining cen e. The collec ion is owned by
he Danish Founda ion o he His o y o Pha macy, es ablished in 2002.
The Danish Founda ion o he His o y o Pha macy
Un il 2002, he e we e h ee o ganiza ions wo king o p ese e he his o y o pha macy in
Denma k: he Danish Socie y o he His o y o Pha macy, ounded in 1953, he Danish
Founda ion o he P ese a ion o Old Pha macy Equipmen & Fu ni u e, es ablished in 1972,
and he Collec ion o Old Pha macy Equipmen , ounded in 1995, owned by he Danish
Pha maceu ical Associa ion and housed a Pha makon.
In he spi i o he new millennium, i was el ha uni ing he a ious s akeholde s would bes
p ese e he his o y o pha macy in Denma k o u u e gene a ions.
On 1 Janua y 2002, he Danish Founda ion o he P ese a ion o Old Pha macy Equipmen
& Fu ni u e was eplaced by a new ounda ion, he Danish Founda ion o he His o y o
Pha macy. A he same ime, he Collec ion o Old Pha macy Equipmen was ans e ed o he
new ounda ion and enamed he Danish Collec ion o he His o y o Pha macy, and he Danish
Socie y o he His o y o Pha macy was also b ough unde he wings o he new ounda ion.
The Danish Founda ion o he His o y o Pha macy ac s as an umb ella o ganiza ion o
ac i i ies ela ing o he his o y o pha macy in Denma k. The objec o he ounda ion is o ca y
ou museum wo k o illus a e he his o y o pha macy in Denma k, o p omo e esea ch in o he
his o y o pha macy in Denma k and o sp ead knowledge o he ield in collabo a ion wi h he
Danish Socie y o he His o y o Pha macy.
The ounda ion is headed by a 10-membe boa d ep esen ing he o ganiza ions, ins i u ions,
and au ho i ies in ol ed wi h pha maceu icals in Denma k.
The ounda ion ca ies ou he wo k o he museum and o he ac i i ies connec ed wi h he
Danish Collec ion o he His o y o Pha macy a Pha makon in Hille oed.
The Danish Collec ion o he His o y o Pha macy
In Denma k, he pha macy se ice de eloped successi ely om he middle o he 16 h cen u y.
In he ollowing cen u ies, he pha macies we e unde an obliga ion o p o ide, manu ac u e,
s o e, and dispense medicines, an obliga ion ha pu hem a he hub o he en i e pha maceu ical
p ocess.
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The Danish Founda ion o he His o y o Pha macy, Pha makon a/s, 42 Milne s ej, DK-3400 Hille oed.
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In abou 1900, he pha macies began o expe ience compe i ion om he g owing
pha maceu ical indus y, and du ing he 20 h cen u y, pha maceu ical companies g adually
assumed he ask o p o iding and manu ac u ing medicines. Medicine manu ac u ing in Danish
pha macies ceased de ini i ely in 1990.
Agains his backg ound, he Danish Collec ion o he His o y o Pha macy illus a es he
ope a ion o he pha macies and he pha maceu ical indus y, as well as he his o y o medicines
in Denma k o e he pas 100 yea s.
The collec ion is a wo king museum. The ools and de ices in he collec ion ha pha macies
used o he age-old c a o manu ac u ing medicines, as well as he able machines and o he
appa a us used o able p oduc ion in pha macies and pha maceu ical companies ha e been
es o ed o wo king condi ion by he collec ion’s echnical enginee o by a machine wo kshop.
This es o a ion enables us o show isi o s how medicines we e manu ac u ed in he pas ,
including he manu ac u e o pills, dispensing powde s, supposi o ies and oin men s, and he
manu ac u e o able s in pa icula . A selec ion o pha maceu ical an iqui ies, books and
documen s has also been es o ed. The es o ed e ec s make up he o namen al objec s o he
collec ion.
The collec ion is di ided in o h ee sec ions: a pha macy sec ion, a able manu ac u e sec ion,
and a medicine exhibi ion.
The pha macy sec ion s a s wi h an exhibi ion o o namen al objec s om Danish pha macies,
including signs, symbols, ja s, bo les, mo a s, scales, coppe appa a us, and o he an ique
pha macy i ems. The sec ion con inues wi h exhibi ions o ools, de ices, and machines used o
manu ac u ing medicines in he pha macies, as well as displays o glasses, bo les, boxes, labels,
s amps and p esc ip ion en elopes used when dispensing medicines. The pha macy sec ion also
ea u es a collec ion o books, including pha macopoeias, medicine a i s, pha maceu ical
ex books and handbooks, as well as a selec ion o pha maceu ical documen s.
The able manu ac u e sec ion displays able machines and o he appa a us used o able
p oduc ion in Danish pha macies and pha maceu ical companies. This sec ion illus a es he
de elopmen o able manu ac u e om c a o indus y.
The medicine exhibi ion displays a selec ion o medicines om Danish pha macies as well as
pha maceu icals om Danish and o eign indus ial companies o illus a e he de elopmen o
d ugs om low- o high- echnological p oduc s.
Fo u he in o ma ion abou he Danish Collec ion o he His o y o Pha macy including 600
pho os, please see: www.d h .dk
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Tex box
The pa ne s o he Danish Founda ion o he His o y o Pha macy:
• The Danish Pha maceu ical Associa ion
• Pha madanma k (p e iously he Associa ion o Danish Pha macis s)
• The Danish Associa ion o Pha maconomis s
• The Danish Associa ion o he Pha maceu ical Indus y (Li )
• The Associa ion o Pha maceu ical Wholesale s (Meg os)
• The Danish Socie y o he His o y o Pha macy
• The Facul y o Pha maceu ical Sciences, Uni e si y o Copenhagen
• Pha makon
• The Danish Medicines Agency
• The Minis y o he In e io and Heal h
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Figu es
Fig. 1. Exhibi ion o ja s, bo les, mo a s, and scales om Danish pha macies.
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Fig. 2. Coppe s ills and o he an ique i ems om Danish pha macies.

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Fig. 3. Middle: Manual and mechanized able machines o use in pha macies.
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Fig. 4. Table machines o indus ial p oduc ion.