A contribution to the study of the history of pharmacy in Karlovac

Abstract

This paper presents the development of pharmacy and pharmacies in the city of Karlovac based on available literature, internet sources, and data from contemporaneous newspapers. In doing so, among other things, it offers an interesting and uncommon insight into the image of the city itself, its inhabitants, spaces, socio-political happenings, and the culture of that time. It highlights the significance of the pharmaceutical tradition of Karlovac as an important part of the history of Croatian pharmacy. The emphasis is on the historical continuity of the four oldest pharmacies in Karlovac (K crnom orlu, K sv. Ćirilu i Metodu, K zlatnom lavu, and K Spasitelju) as well as the importance of the pharmaceutical tradition of the Franciscan monastery in Karlovac and the Franciscans’ role in the development of Karlovac’s pharmacy services as a sort of beginning of medical care in Karlovac and the Karlovac region. The oldest pharmacy in Karlovac, K crnom orlu (now Ljekarna Grgur Ninski), was founded in 1726 and has been continuously operating for nearly three hundred years. The paper also highlights the contributions of Josip Vrbanić, one of the owners of K crnom orlu, and his role in the development of Karlovac as a modern city. K sv. Ćirilu i Metodu (now Ljekarna Banija), managed by Gustav Modrušan, a pharmacist and two-term mayor of Karlovac, is also of great importance. The work also provides a brief historical overview of the remaining two oldest pharmacies, K zlatnom lavu and K Spasitelju, which no longer exist, but their owners and employees also made a significant impact on the social and cultural life of Karlovac. Also presented are the most important facts about the historical activities of individual pharmacies and their owners and partners. Light is shed on some previously unknown historical facts about these pharmacies, such as the original location of the pharmacy K Spasitelju, which was not documented in literature until now. Finally, inaccurate information found in various literary sources is corrected.