Potions and Pestilence

Your local pharmacist is there when you need them - for medicine, beauty, cleaning, and hygiene products, the pharmacy is a place we all know well.

You might assume that a pharmacist’s work hasn’t changed much in the past century, but a dusty notebook uncovered in the ceiling of a house in Hamilton shows us just how much local pharmacies have changed since the mid-20th century. This notebook belonged to Eric Gordon Abel, who worked as a pharmacist in the Newcastle region. His rediscovered notes contain personal prescriptions for customers, information about changing drug laws, and even step-by-step instructions for various veterinary treatments. Using the recipes found in the pages of his notebook and objects from the museum collection, this insightful exhibition examines our city's changing needs.

This exhibition has been researched and designed by university students as a work-integrated learning opportunity. The eight students were given the autonomy to collaboratively research the history of pharmacies in the Hunter Valley, curate a selection of meaningful objects from the Museum’s collection, digitize Eric’s notebook, and design, and finally install the finished exhibition.

'Potions and Pestilence' is a first not only for Newcastle Museum, but an industry-leading initiative giving tertiary students the opportunity to gain insight into curation and exhibition design, resulting in a finished exhibition at an established institution.