48. Joyce Green Hospital's own "Boots, The Chemist"

Key words/phrases: Boots, The Chemist, John and Jesse Boot of Nottingham, Methodist social conscience, E.S.Waring, Nottingham Daily Express, apothecary William Weston of St Bartholomew's Hospital London, the role of head dispenser, John (Chalky) White of the River Hospitals, Joyce Green Hospital Pharmacy.

No. 48

If you stop someone in the street of any largish English town and ask him or her to direct you to a chemist’s shop the chances are extremely high that they will point you in the direction of the nearest “Boots, The Chemist”.

Although John Boot, the herbalist-shop owner of Nottingham was the original Mr Boot, it was his son Jesse who turned the family business into the well-known chain of British retail chemist shops. John Boot died when his son was still a child and so at the age of thirteen Jesse left school to help his mother run their herbalist shop. He decided to study pharmacy in his spare-time and in 1877 he opened his own chemist’s shop.

Prior to the advent of chemist shops doctors made up their own prescriptions after diagnosing a patient’s ailment however during this period of time there was still a major problem for poor families because even if they could afford to pay the doctor for their consultation most of them couldn’t afford the medicines that he offered to make up. Thus the diagnosis, prescription and treatment cycle could not always be completed with obvious consequences for both personal and public health.

Even when chemist’s shops began to appear the charges made for medicines were still very high and Jesse Boot realised that established chemists in Nottingham had quietly introduced a cartel with a prohibitive price-fixing policy. Thus being both a Methodist Christian (with a strong social conscience) and a businessman he decided to do something to break this monopoly and at the same time to improve his own business prospects too.

By employing a young chemist called E.S.Waring to dispense patient’s prescriptions at half the price that G.Ps and local chemists usually charged both Boot and a high percentage of Nottingham patients benefited.

He went on to advertise via the “Nottingham Daily Express” that over 100 items in his shop at Goose Gate were being sold more cheaply and even employed a bell-ringer to tour the local streets informing the public about these offers. Not surprisingly these social and business strategies were so successful that within a month the takings of the shop - which he later renamed “The People's Store”- had doubled. “And the rest” … as they say … “is history” with Boot’s The Chemists expanding into a prosperous and nationally-renowned chain of quality chemist shops.

But what of the history of hospital pharmacies ?

The first recorded apothecary at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, as an example, was William Weston in 1571 who apparently supplied drugs paid for out of his own salary.

In 1847 the role of the St Bart’s apothecary was revised and it was agreed that the apothecary “should attend the physicians on their rounds if required, visit patients in the wards each morning and night, as well as attending casualties”.

Frederick Wood, the last St Bart’s apothecary, retired in 1868. The post was then abolished and the duties were divided between the house physicians and a person fulfilling the new role of ‘Head Dispenser’, i.e someone who took over all of the pharmaceutical duties.

The head dispenser’s title was changed to that of pharmacist in 1927 although the dispensary itself did not become known as the pharmacy until as late as 1967.

As far as Joyce Green Hospital was concerned John White (or “Chalky” as he was affectionately known) qualified as a pharmacist in 1938 and he came to Joyce Green Hospital in 1953 as Chief Pharmacist for the River Hospitals.

I am struggling at present to remember exactly where the Pharmacy was at Joyce Green Hospital (believing for the moment that it’s last resting place was near to the hospital library, on the corridor leading away from Nursing Admin ?) but I certainly have crystal clear memories of Mr White peddling around the hospital on a bike delivering urgent items to the wards, wearing a long white open fronted hospital-issue long jacket or coat.

I wonder if you have any memories of the pharmacy services at Joyce Green or of Mr White and his staff ?