Longer Read
Artefacts: Putting a lid on it
Ralph Tapping looks back at the long and detailed history of ceramic pots in pharmacy These days creams, ointments, gels and many foodstuffs are presented in glass screw-capped jars with …
Why Amazon should keep prescription drugs off its voluminous shelves
The online retailer’s incredible growth has come from expanding into more and more areas, but one category it has yet to enter, however, is prescription drugs A pharmacist prepares to grind …
The weaker half
We all know the story, men’s health is worse than women’s in most measures, but what can be done about it? And does pharmacy have a role to play? Chris …
13 Reasons Why
Here are 13 compelling reasons to care about the mental wellbeing of every patient that walks through your door Chances are you’ve heard of the controversial Netflix series 13 Reasons …
FactCheck: will 700,000 workers be ‘ripped off’ by penalty rate cuts, as Bill Shorten said?
FactCheck: will 700,000 workers be ‘ripped off’ by penalty rate cuts, as Bill Shorten said? Joshua Healy, University of Melbourne Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts to penalty rates will rip off 700,000 …
Artefacts: plasters & poultices
One hundred years ago preparations to soothe and medicate the skin were regularly prescribed and compounded, including ointments, creams, plasters and poultices Preparing a plaster involved spreading a pliable base …
Science or Snake oil: do Band-Aids really ‘heal cuts twice as fast’?
Science or Snake oil: do Band-Aids really ‘heal cuts twice as fast’? Don’t believe the hype. Band-Aids might protect minor cuts but there’s no publicly available evidence they speed up …
Only in the USA!
A very strange product ad emerges from the past. It could only come from the home of the brave, writes Ralph Tapping With all the political turmoil going on in …
Pharma’s footprint
Unwanted, expired and improperly disposed of medicines pose a serious threat to people, animals and the environment. How can pharmacists play an active role in reducing the impacts? How active …
At the pointy end
The 2017 flu season is nearly upon us, but this time pharmacy is ready to play a greater role than ever before. Megan Haggan investigates This year follows the two …
Losing our bottle
Whatever happened to those fancy dispensary stock bottles that were so familiar sixty years ago, asks Ralph Tapping? The Whittal Tatum & Co jars and bottles, with their glass labels, …
Of pomades & bear’s grease
Modern manscaped metrosexuals were not the first to males to use complex cosmetics. Ralph Tapping explores historic examples of male hair-care products Bear’s grease was popular in England from the …