Victorian Pharmacy - Episode 3

Victorian Pharmacy moves into episode three.  The pharmacists continue to experiment with new products in their shop.  The Pharmacy was the most dangerous shop on High Street.  A group of pharmacists came together and formed a Pharmaceutical Society to regulate pharmacies.  There were little to no regulations for the pharmacy.  Our Victorian Pharmacists kick off the episode by removing the poisonous items off their shelves.  Chemists and druggists continued to experiment with the chemicals in their pharmacy.

Tom experiments in making matches.  This would prove dangerous to the early pharmacists due to the chemicals that were used in making matching.  Sulfuric acid was used to light the matches and if you dropped the bottle of sulfuric acid there were explosive results.  It was surprising to Tom that pharmacists were making matches.  Due to the high number of chemicals, they have available, pharmacists were at the forefront of experimenting with making matches.

Ruth sets up a baby weight service and explores the baby products that were available through the pharmacy.  A lot of poison products targeted at babies were on the shelf.  A customer who brought a baby into the pharmacy did not buy any products.  Ruth also explores the poison in the cleaning projects that were on the shelf.  Mercury was used in hats.  Arsenic was used in cleaning products and was used to turn things green.

Accidental arsenic poisoning was a high cause of death in the Victorian Period.  There were a few regulations on how arsenic was sold to the people.  The number one product sold from the pharmacy was fly-paper and rat poison.  This led to parents deliberately poisoning their children for the insurance.  The Arsenic Act helped curb the poisoning.  The Pharmacy Act lead to pharmacists having to be qualified for their jobs.  Pharmacists were eventually required to take exams.

The Victorian Pharmacists take part in the exam.  They have to identify several natural products and make suppositories.  Women could participate in the pharmacy exams since there was no law that said they could not.  Widows took part in the exams.  It was the first time women could have a career and that they could be qualified for the career.  This lead to other women pressing forward in other areas of society.  While practicing for her exam, Ruth continues to make products for the pharmacy.
To find out who passed their exam, continue to watch the documentary!

For use in the classroom, just highlight, copy and paste into a Word or Google Document.  You can format it how you like.  All questions can fit on one page.

You can access the video here.

Victorian Pharmacy Episode 3 Questions

1. What did the pharmacists take out of the window? 
2. What was used to light the matches? 
3. What was the potential to be a big seller? 
4. Ruth set up this service to entice customers to the store? 
5. How much did Billy weigh? 
6. What was in Mrs. Winslow’s’ Soothing Syrup? 
7. What poison was used to color things green?
8. Who felt that she had the most to prove?
9. Who could take part in the pharmacy exams? 
10. What did the pharmacists have to make as part of the exam? 

Victorian Pharmacy Episode 3 Answers

1. What did the pharmacists take out of the window?  - Poisons
2. What was used to light the matches?  - Sulfuric Acid
3. What was the potential to be a big seller? - Products for babies
4. Ruth set up this service to entice customers to the store?  - Free baby Weighing
5. How much did Billy weigh?  - 14 pounds, 2 ounces
6. What was in Mrs. Winslow’s’ Soothing Syrup?  - Opium
7. What poison was used to color things green? -  Arsenic
8. Who felt that she had the most to prove? - Ruth
9. Who could take part in the pharmacy exams?  - Women
10. What did the pharmacists have to make as part of the exam? - Suppositories