Mercury as a medicine
The element mercury is at the centre of the new temporary exhibition Life, Death and Mercury at the Pharmacy Museum and Qwensel House. The exhibition sheds light on the kind of ailments for which different mercury products were prescribed and how they were believed to be effective. Medicines containing mercury were used to treat various skin diseases and sexually transmitted diseases, among other ailments. Before penicillin was invented, mercury was considered the only effective medicine for syphilis. Mercury was also used in various beauty products until the 20th century. Although people were at least somewhat aware of the side effects of mercury, it was often believed that the benefits would outweigh its potential harm.
Mercury as part of world trade
The exhibition also displays mercury as part of world trade in the 18th century. Almost all of the mercury used in Europe was produced in Idrija mines in modern-day Slovenia, from where it travelled to Turku and elsewhere in Finland. The exhibition follows the voyage of the captain Petter Claesson from Turku on the ship Apparence in 1774. The ship's cargo contained a wide range of valuable and practical goods needed in Turku, including mercury.
Life, Death and Mercury is based on the “Tie meren yli” project which was jointly carried out by the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi as well as a new study by Laura Hollsten on the use of mercury and its role in world trade in the 18th century.
In connection with the exhibition, the Pharmacy Museum and Qwensel House will open a new space for temporary exhibitions in a part of the museum that was previously closed to the public. The purpose of the temporary exhibitions is to bring new perspectives to the topics and eras that are presented in the main exhibitions of the museum.
Lecture (in Finnish) 11 March at 2 pm
Laura Hollsten’s lecture on mercury in medicine and crafts in 18th century Turku.
The exhibition is open from 3 March 2023 to 2 March 2025.