A rare 1786 book regarded as one of the works that helped lay the foundations of modern scientific pharmacy has been selected as the Exhibit of the Month for October at the Cris Land Museum in Oradea.

The volume titled Lehrbuch der Apothekerkunst (Textbook of the Art of Pharmacy), written by German pharmacist, chemist and botanist Karl Gottfried Hagen, is on display throughout October at the Oradea City Museum section.

According to the museum, the book is the third revised and expanded edition and was published at a time when medicine and pharmacy were beginning to move away from traditional practices and increasingly rely on observation, experimentation and standardized procedures.

'The treatise reflects the growing demand for systematic and rational knowledge of drug preparation, describing techniques such as distillation, crystallization and the preservation of plant- and mineral-based remedies,' the release notes.

The volume also provides insight into the state of chemistry and pharmacology in the 18th century, before the discovery of alkaloids, and preserves the pharmaceutical and chemical terminology of the period.

One of the book's notable features is an engraving on the title page depicting Hagen's laboratory, considered the first university chemical laboratory in Germany. The page also lists the author's academic and professional titles, including physician, professor and pharmacist to the Prussian royal court.

Hagen (1749-1829) taught at the University of Königsberg and was mentored by philosopher Immanuel Kant. His work was dedicated to Berlin's Obercollegium Medicum, the highest medical authority in the Kingdom of Prussia.

The copy held by the Cris Land Museum also contains traces of previous ownership, including a handwritten 'ex Libris Munch' inscription. Donated to the museum by Alexandru Pop, the volume can be viewed from October 1 to 31 at the Oradea City Museum section of the Oradea Citadel. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Eugenia Pasca; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)

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