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Episode 1

Documentary series recreating a 19th-century pharmacy. The team discover the world of pharmacy in 1837, when traditional remedies such as leeches were popular and regularly used.

In a unique experiment, historian Ruth Goodman, Professor Nick Barber and PhD student Tom Quick are recreating an authentic 19th-century pharmacy.

The team discover the world of the pharmacy at the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign in 1837 - a world where traditional remedies such as leeches, oil of earthworm and potions laced with cannabis and opium were popular and regularly used.

Ruth gathers herbs and plants to make a traditional cough medicine for a customer to test. Meanwhile, other volunteers try some safe cures from Victorian times - will any of them work or was it all just quackery?

30 minutes

Last on

Mon 25 Jul 2011 19:00

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Credits

Role Contributor
Executive Producer David Upshal
Presenter Ruth Goodman
Executive Producer Andrew Snowball

Broadcasts