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In summary, twentieth-century British and American cards published by the organisations of pharmacy albeit a limited window into public relations--suggest that relatively little attention was given to offering the public an understanding of the science basis of pharmacy or the nature of pharmacy research. On the other hand, clear hints of this came from industry despite being diluted, some might say tainted, with overt commercialism. Thus it is suggested that the public came to associate industry with pharmacy research, a suggestion that needs to be examined in the light of other approaches to PR. It is, of course, not surprising that PR from pharmacy's professional bodies has focused largely on community practice. However, it is reasonable to ask, What is the cost in terms of professional image when opportunities to promote an understanding of the science of pharmacy are given little attention? Indeed, it seems to me that it was soon forgotten that an emphasis placed on the science base of pharmacy was very much behind the successful efforts in establishing the Pharmaceutical Society and a professional image for pharmacy. I suggest, too, that the pattern of limited science PR contributes, unconsciously, to current concerns over the place of scientists in the new professional society. As is well known, interminable debate exists over what the public sees as 'professional'. Even so, I think few would disagree that an image of science can be more than helpful. Maybe, in the current upheaval for British pharmacy, there is a case for the publication of free cards analogous to those recently produced by the School of Pharmacy, although only so long as they indicate, by way of context, both the science and humanity demanded for pharmacy practice.

Two important archeological investigations currently underway in the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, at Cupids (established 1610) and Ferryland (1621), help to focus questions on health and health care in early seventeenth-century English settlements. This review looks at one aspect only, the problem of scurvy and what treatments were tried. In adding to our understanding of early colonial settlements and on how new medicinal plants were "discovered," the Newfoundland story reveals a considerable interest in local plants as substitutes for scurvy grass. Suggestions are offered on how they may have been chosen and the rationales behind their use.

This study describes the medical books of three physicians in rural Newfoundland who followed each other chronologically. Spanning the years c.1860 to c.1970, the nearly 300 books prompt a variety of questions about the physicians themselves, their practices, and their reading habits. These enquiries raise further questions about the extent to which medical books are read for factual information or for contemplating more general issues about the nature of disease and the nature of the individual.