About

The Pharmacy Museum of the Schwartz College of Pharmacy


The collections of the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy Museum began in 1883, when the Kings County Pharmaceutical Association began a series of lectures to educate the pharmacy apprentices and clerks of Brooklyn. Botanical and mineral specimens were acquired as teaching aids, which later became the bases of the museum.

As the College expanded its teaching from a one year certificate program to a two year Pharmacy Graduate degree in 1891, the teaching collection also expanded. Later, when the degree program went to three and then to four years, the collection expanded even further to include compounding ingredients, manufactured medicines, and dispensing and laboratory equipment.

In 1948, Professor Isidore Greenberg joined the faculty and became the Museum’s Director. The collections grew by donations of Alumni, Faculty, and pharmacists of New York City. Manufactured medicines were received from companies and at conventions.

The Museum went dormant when Professor Greenberg retired in 1973. Two short years later the College’s name changed to the Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in recognition of their very generous donation. With this funding, the College with its museum moved to the Long Island University, Brooklyn campus in 1975-1976.

The museum was reactivated when alumnus Michael R. Harris, class of 1969, returned to the College in 2007 both as an adjunct professor and director of the museum. Dr. Mimi Pezzuto joined the College’s faculty in 2016, taking up the directorship of the Cosmetics Technology program, teaching of pharmacy and the history of pharmacy. Professor Mimi Pezzuto has joined Professor Harris as co-director of the Museum.

Through continued donations the Museum hopes to contain the largest holdings of historic medicines in the United States.

The development of this database by A.C. Harris Design will make it possible to catalog the Museum collections and make them known to professionals and to the public.


Current Directors of the Museum


Pharmacist, Smithsonian associate curator, Professor Schwartz College of Pharmacy

Michael Harris

Museum Director

Curator Bio

Pharmacist, Smithsonian associate curator, Professor Schwartz College of Pharmacy

Email: michaelharris845@gmail.com

More Information

Will add

mimi pezzuto

Professor Pezzuto

Curator Bio

Will add

Email: mimi.pezzuto@liu.edu

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