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The Victorian Chemist: Medicine, Poison, and Regulation in the 1880s
Paperback
Biographies GeneralMedical ReferenceGeneral World History
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Feb 16 2026
Pages: 198
Weight: 0.42
Height: 0.50 Width: 5.25 Depth: 8.00
Language: English
In 1880s Britain, the chemist's shop stood at the centre of a quiet revolution.
Behind its polished counter were the substances that eased pain, soothed nerves, and saved lives - and the same substances that could quietly kill. As pharmacy professionalised and poison laws tightened, Victorian society struggled to balance access with safety, privacy with accountability, and relief with risk.
The Victorian Chemist explores the uneasy coexistence of medicine and poison in an age of rapid chemical progress. Through regulation, scandal, courtroom testimony, and everyday trade, this book reveals how modern pharmacy was shaped by fear, reform, and the limits of proof.
Not a tale of melodrama, but a study in power, trust, and responsibility - at the counter where modern medicine was born.
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