Museu da Farmácia, Porto

The Museu da Farmacia (Pharmacy's Museum) in Porto (Rua Engº Ferreira Dias 728) was inaugurated in 2010, while its Lisbon's twin is functioning since 1996.

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In Porto's Museum a lot of objects are displayed and many places related to health are reconstructed: "At Museu da Farmácia in Porto, you are challenged to start your journey with pieces that are around 40 million years old, and to discover testimonies of objects that differ in their forms and functions: from surgical instruments, which take us back to the conquests of the Roman empire, to masks of healers and sorcerers from different African tribes. Throughout the exhibition it is intended to materialize a true journey through the history of mankind"1.

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old Farmacia Estácio

For instance, you can see the interior of a Pharmacy of Porto that existed from 1922 until 1975. Farmácia Estácio was founded in the city of Porto in 1924 and was made of carved and gilded wood. The Pharmacy that was located on Rua Sá da Bandeira in Porto owes its name to Emílio Estácio who was a Pharmacist in the city of Coimbra. In the Pharmacy, cabinets are represented by busts of distinguished Pharmacists and Chemists from the city of Porto such as Agostinho da Silva Vieira, and Roberto Frias, among other personalities.

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old Farmácia Islâmica

Another example is the Islamic pharmacy that existed inside a palace in Damascus in the 19th century, which would have functioned as a teaching centre and pharmacy. The pharmacy is composed of an original ceiling arranged around a large moulded gilded central piece, waxing in its niches, myriads of small mirrors that reflect light in all directions. The walls are carved and decorated with gilded and polychrome stucco, painted with a series of arabesques, panels of floral and architectural designs and even inverted Tughra inscriptions, to be seen in mirrors.

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  • Photos by Antonio Miguel Santos (April 2023)

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