The Hilo Drug Company: A Pharmacy in the Midst of Changing Federal Legislation and Unique Medical Practices

In her October 2013 Saigo program, Mimi Pezzuto of UH-Hilo’s College of Pharmacy addressed the question, “What can we learn about the life of a community by looking at lists of names, dates, and pharmaceutical ingredients?”  Her presentation of the contents of weighty prescription logs from the now-defunct Hilo Drug Company illustrated some of the afflictions suffered by residents of old Hilo town in the years 1894 to 1945, and the substances and practices used to treat them.  Building on this popular program, tonight Mimi is joined by archivist Helen Wong Smith to discuss the differences between Hawai`i and the United States, in the legislation and medical practices of that era, including opium prescriptions and the licensing of kāhuna.  Prescription logs and other local pharmacy ephemera will be available for viewing!