Apothecary

Apothecaries prepared and sold remedies, often using inherited recipes, and could supply medicines recommended by physicians. Barber-surgeons learnt practical skills through apprenticeship and performed procedures such as bloodletting and tooth extraction. Local women provided herbal remedies, nursing and midwifery using knowledge passed through families and communities.

Apothecaries prepared and sold remedies, often using herbs. They could mix a medicine prescribed by a physician, but people also consulted them directly because they were cheaper. Their knowledge came from traditional recipes, practical experience and manuals rather than university study.