Pharmaceutical Historian

The Pharmaceutical Historian is one of the key benefits of membership of the British Society for the History of Pharmacy. This professional journal on the history of pharmacy was first published in 1967. At first it appeared intermittently, but it has been published on a regular quarterly basis since 1972. The complete archive from 1967-2020 has been digitised and is available online on an open access basis.

The editor is Stuart Anderson. The editorial board can be seen at the bottom of the page.

Pharmaceutical Historian Front cover example using an old woodcut of an apothecary reading scrolls and a purple title.

Cumulative indexes are produced at regular intervals [See below]

Articles in English are invited on any aspect of the history of pharmacy. Contributions are carefully peer reviewed and edited to ensure that the journal remains a high quality publication. Articles are indexed in Embase, PubPharm, Google Scholar, and CNKI Scholar.

Please read our policy statements here.

From Volume 47 Number 2 (June 2017) the journal assumed the subtitle 'an International Journal for the History of Pharmacy.' This reflects some developments for us. Firstly, it acknowledged a new publishing agreement between ourselves and the International Society for the History of Pharmacy (ISHP). Secondly, the journal became available on the IngentaConnect distribution platform from Volume 47, Issue 1, where it remained until volume 55, number 4.

Going online also allowed the use of colour for the first time. Printed copies continue to be sent to BSHP members. They can also be made available to ISHP member organisations that wish to purchase copies from the publisher for distribution to their own members.

Please see the Instructions for Contributors below, for more details about how to submit material for publication. The Pharmaceutical Historian fully supports internationally accepted high standards in publication.

Contributions should be sent to editor@bshp.org