Apothecary of the Hôtel-Dieu

The Bourg-en-Bresse apothecary consists of three rooms: an intact laboratory, a back store and a dispensary, with magnificent Louis XV woodwork housing an impressive collection of earthenware and flasks.
It was the pharmacy of the old hospital, the Hôtel-Dieu, from the end of its construction (1782-1790) until 1963. Its laboratory is a remarkable piece of equipment, as it is rare to be able to visit one today. It allows visitors to immerse themselves in the chemistry of past centuries: copper stills, mortars, a cast-iron furnace (19th c.), a wine press, all kinds of pewter...
The back room features the first earthenware pots, canon pots and chevrettes, as well as a library containing old books, including one from the 17th century.
The dispensary's oak panelling gives the room a cosy feel. Some parts are carved to fit the corresponding ceramics, the famous "watch jars", three of which are inscribed with the famous Theriac. A journey into the pharmacopoeia of centuries gone by, through more than a thousand containers! Distillates, powders, ointments, pills, syrups, oils, dried plants...