The Historical Medicinal Collection of the Department of Pharmacology, is located in the Trinity Centre for Health Sciences in St. James’s University Hospital. The collection contains 43 preserved samples, which are organised below in alphabetical order for easy reference. Each item has a different traditional medicinal importance and showcases the evolution of pharmacology, and how these items have been adapted for modern use. This catalogue invites you to explore our unique history.

Having contacted the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland, we learned that in the year 1867, the college presented its Materia Medica collection to the School of Physic in Trinity College Dublin. This being the origin of many of the specimen, such as the Cinchona Bark, Diarbekir Manna, Sarsaparilla and Scammony. Thank you to Keeper of Collections at RCPI, Harriet Wheelock, for assisting us in our research.