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Apothecaries' Hall of Ireland

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The Apothecaries' Hall of Ireland is an association of apothecaries of Ireland, founded in 1791. Before that apothecaries in Ireland were members of the Guild of St. Luke, formed in Dublin in 1745 to replace the old Guild of St. Mary Magdalen, in which barbers, surgeons, apothecaries and wig-makers were united.

History

The apothecaries were incorporated as the Guild of St Luke by charter of George II in 1745. The guild continued to exist after the foundation of the Apothecaries Hall until the mid-19th century.

The Apothecaries Hall was erected in Mary Street, Dublin, in 1791, at a cost of £6000. It contained a spacious chemical laboratory where medical articles were prepared. Part of it was a wholesale warehouse, where the apothecaries could procure their medicines. Lectures were delivered there. The principal duty of this society was the examination of candidates for the rank of master apothecary, without which no person could open an apothecary's shop in the city. It could also confer medical students with a degree that enabled them to practice.

In 1854 the medical school of the Apothecaries’ Hall in Cecilia St., Dublin, was purchased in the name of Andrew Ellis, a licentiate and fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and a Catholic, to form the Catholic University Medical School.

In 1971, the General Medical Council and the Medical Registration Council of Ireland revoked the Apothecaries' Hall right to issue medical licenses. Since an Act of Parliament established the Hall, an Act of Parliament would also be needed to close it. The Hall continues to exist although it can no longer serve its primary function.

References

Apothecaries' Hall of Ireland Wikipedia