0:00:02 > 0:00:05Blists Hill Victorian Town in Shropshire revives the sights,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09- sounds and smells of the 19th century.- Morning.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12At its heart stands the pharmacy -
0:00:12 > 0:00:17a treasure house of potions and remedies from a century and a half ago.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Now, in a unique experiment, historian Ruth Goodman,
0:00:20 > 0:00:25Professor of Pharmacy Nick Barber and PhD student Tom Quick
0:00:25 > 0:00:27have opened the doors to the Victorian pharmacy,
0:00:27 > 0:00:32recreating a High Street institution we take for granted,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34but which was once a novel idea.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37They've brought the pharmacy to life,
0:00:37 > 0:00:42sourcing ingredients, mixing potions and dispensing cures.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47But in an age when skin creams contained arsenic and
0:00:47 > 0:00:51cold medicines were based on opium, the team are being highly selective.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54They're only trying out safe versions of traditional remedies
0:00:54 > 0:00:57on carefully selected customers.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02The start was like the Wild West - people didn't know what was good and bad.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Try to get a bit of speed up. Oh, there we go!
0:01:04 > 0:01:09The pharmacy was something that affected everybody's lives in one way or another.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13They're discovering an age of social change
0:01:13 > 0:01:18that brought healthcare within the reach of ordinary people for the very first time,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21heralding a consumer revolution that reached far beyond medicine
0:01:21 > 0:01:26to create the model for the modern High Street chemist as we know it today.
0:01:34 > 0:01:40It's the end of the 19th century and the pharmacy's role in the community
0:01:40 > 0:01:44has changed immeasurably since the beginning of Victoria's reign.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48No longer just making up remedies and cures,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51they sell a wide range of medical and cosmetic goods.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54And offer a more affordable alternative to doctors.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00It was also a time of change for women in society.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05Now we're sort of coming towards the end of this journey through the 19th century pharmacy,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08I really ought to have some clothes that are a bit more appropriate.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12At the end of the century, women in business - and, of course,
0:02:12 > 0:02:17women WERE in business - were wanting to emphasise that sort of quality.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20So they started dressing in a much more man-like way,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23to emphasise their sort of business credentials as such.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27So you get women's suits, for those who wanted to show that they were in
0:02:27 > 0:02:31the world of work, holding their own professionally alongside the blokes.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36Do you know? I think I could run the world of pharmacy dressed like this.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48So here we are at the end of the century.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Really different picture of pharmacy now.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52A lot of involvement of science,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56and we see the services diversify as well.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Absolutely and for the first time, albeit discreetly,
0:03:00 > 0:03:05pharmacies are providing things like contraception
0:03:05 > 0:03:07which makes such a huge difference to people's lives.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Pharmacies sold a number of contraceptives
0:03:15 > 0:03:19and Ruth has gathered the raw ingredients for a product
0:03:19 > 0:03:22that will become a popular under-the-counter item.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27What I'm making are condoms. This is sheep's intestine.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31Of course it's the small, not the large, intestine.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35I can't say this is the pleasantest of jobs.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37It's pretty smelly, pretty dirty.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41So, having pulled it apart from the rest of the stomach contents,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45I'm just squeezing it so that everything inside comes out.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50I mean, this is the intestinal tract, so it's sort of partly digested grass, basically.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Oh, I've ruptured it, at the side.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01I'm not actually expecting anybody to actually wear this.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04So I could sort of think, "Oh well, it doesn't matter."
0:04:04 > 0:04:07But I sort of want to get it right.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11I quite like the whole experimental thing.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13I want to make one that works.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18So I've got quite a number of processes to go through before this is a finished product.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19It's got to soak for a bit,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22then I've got to turn the whole thing inside out,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24so I can make sure the inside is thoroughly cleaned.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29And it's then got to be macerated - lightly worked and soaked -
0:04:29 > 0:04:32in an alkali substance, to sterilise it.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Then I've got to dry it out over brimstone, sulphur fumes.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Again, we're trying to sterilise the whole thing.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41And then I can start shaping it.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46So, alkali overnight, change the alkali in the morning.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54An enterprising pharmacist used his chemical expertise
0:04:54 > 0:04:56and the materials he had on his shelves
0:04:56 > 0:05:00to cater for one of the great growing fashions of the age.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Right, that's ready. Give me the slide.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Photographer Terry King has come to demonstrate the latest technology.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16Photography was invented in the early years of Victoria's reign.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19It wasn't until the 1880s that the real boom began.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26Easier to use equipment gave amateur photography popular appeal as a hobby.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31And that meant big profits for pharmacies who could supply
0:05:31 > 0:05:35the chemicals, process pictures and sell cameras.
0:05:39 > 0:05:45OK, I'll just check once more we have the focus right.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Slide out, are we all ready?
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Watch the birdie, keep still while we do it.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Thank you very much. We're done now.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Later, after Terry has set up a dark room,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Tom will be learning how to develop the photograph.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09Keen to exploit every business opportunity in the 1890s,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13pharmacies began offering another new service to their customers.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18With only one qualified dentist for every 8,500 people,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21there was money to be made from tooth pulling.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Retired dentist and dental historian,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Professor Stanley Gelbier has come to train Tom up.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34What I don't understand, Stanley, is as a pharmacist's assistant,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- why would I be extracting teeth? - Well, that's quite simple really,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40cos you're going to be one of a number of people
0:06:40 > 0:06:43who are extracting teeth at that particular time in the century.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46In London, many of them were surgeons
0:06:46 > 0:06:49who also did dentistry, almost as a sideline.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53As you got outside London, you had a variety of other people.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Blacksmiths could make the tools in their forge
0:06:56 > 0:06:58and then they would actually use them.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02Some were wigmakers, silversmiths, a whole load of different people.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05There must have been quite a market for it.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09What state were Victorian people's teeth in at this time?
0:07:09 > 0:07:13A lot of people have bad teeth. The problem was sugar, as always.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Their mouths were often full of bad teeth.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20They had pus draining into their mouth through gum boils etcetera.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22So it's quite horrific and quite smelly.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25But the thing is, dentistry was horrific at that time
0:07:25 > 0:07:28so people didn't rush to get their teeth treated
0:07:28 > 0:07:31until it was absolutely essential.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36Right, so shall we just have a go and see how I go about this then?
0:07:36 > 0:07:40- What would I be using here? - Why don't we try one of the keys?
0:07:40 > 0:07:44The brutally efficient dental key was the weapon of choice
0:07:44 > 0:07:46for extracting diseased teeth.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50The earlier ones had no handles, just a straight piece of metal.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53This is more sophisticated, more comfortable, with a better grip.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57- Why don't we try it out on your finger first?- Um...OK.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01There we are. We won't take your finger off, I'm just hooking it over
0:08:01 > 0:08:03so we can see that now. And you'll feel,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07as I slowly turn, feel the grip.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09- Yeah, it really gets there. - I won't do any more.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11You have a try. Try it on this.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14So I need to go round the back here then?
0:08:14 > 0:08:17You can't do that, that'd be the back of the head, the throat.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19- You need to go in through the mouth.- Right, OK.
0:08:19 > 0:08:26Get that gripping on the tooth. Right, and then a quick yank.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31- That's it, gone.- Wow! Yeah, you can see how that'd do quite a lot of damage.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35That's right. And more often than not, not only the tooth comes out,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38sometimes the tooth breaks, sometimes it comes straight out,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40but often you damage the gum around the tooth
0:08:40 > 0:08:43and the bone around the tooth. But it was really horrific.
0:08:43 > 0:08:49Remember, there were no anaesthetics so it really was painful.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53- That's not a friendly technique for your mouth.- Not at all.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56To avoid the terror of tooth pulling, wealthier customers
0:08:56 > 0:09:01might lavish care on their teeth with a tooth powder or dentifrice,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03specially prepared by their pharmacist.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06What I've been doing is grinding up some myrrh,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10and we're going to use it to make a dentifrice,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14which is what they used before they used toothpastes.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17It's a powder mixture of various things,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20which I'm going to be bringing together.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22At this stage, they didn't use toothpaste
0:09:22 > 0:09:26because of a practical reason, which is, in particular,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29they couldn't get tubes which we're so used to now.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32It was only when soft metal tubes were made available
0:09:32 > 0:09:35in about the 1890s, that they could put toothpaste
0:09:35 > 0:09:38into these tubes and be able to have them sealed
0:09:38 > 0:09:40and used in the way which we are so used to now.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44First thing I'm going to do is mix some chalk together
0:09:44 > 0:09:46with some peppermint oil.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Some of the orris root, this is a plant substance.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57Pharmacists would sometimes add ground cuttlefish, brick dust,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00and even crushed china to their tooth powders
0:10:00 > 0:10:02for extra abrasive effect.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06We've got some soap flakes coming in as well.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11And soap was used, as you can imagine, to clean the teeth.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14But the art of mixing's extremely important.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17There's no use having a dilution of something
0:10:17 > 0:10:21if you end up with a very concentrated part of it
0:10:21 > 0:10:25which is poisonous or dangerous in some ways.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I am worried that it's going to be given to someone.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31I'll be rubbing some on my own gums before I'm giving it to anyone else!
0:10:31 > 0:10:36Erm, and that sense of responsibility was there all the time.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41That's why that whole concept of checking is so important in pharmacy,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45because you only have to make the sort of careless error
0:10:45 > 0:10:47we all make in other aspects of our life
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and you can severely harm someone.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55But we're getting close to be ready to try it.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00We'll try sieving down a small amount. That's looking good.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04- Hello, Helen, how are you?- So this is what I'll be testing, then?
0:11:04 > 0:11:08It is indeed, it is indeed. Very kind of you to volunteer to try this.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Helen Wright is a researcher of dental diseases,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14and the perfect customer to assess the quality and appeal
0:11:14 > 0:11:16of Nick's concoction.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20It would be presented in one of these little pots,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22and they'd have a toothbrush.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27- I've got a lovely selection of toothbrushes here.- Lovely!
0:11:27 > 0:11:28So, are you ready to give this a go?
0:11:28 > 0:11:32- Yep.- Well, pick a toothbrush.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37- I'll have this one here, it's nice and small.- OK. And give it a try.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39See how much sticks on.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- Yeah, it seems to stick quite well to the toothbrush.- Good!
0:11:42 > 0:11:45There we go. Right, here we go.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Let me have a bit of a try as well.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48Put some on my finger.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55You're still standing, that's a good start. What's it like?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58It's got a definite zing to it, hasn't it?
0:11:58 > 0:12:02I can feel the inside of my lips and my gums tingling.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04That'll be the myrrh doing that.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08You can feel it sort of gritting on your teeth as well,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10I certainly can with my finger.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- They feel nice and clean using the brush, though.- Yeah.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17I think we might have a product here. I've got a pot here for you to take away,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19- and a toothbrush as well.- Thank you.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22- Thanks very much indeed for coming in. Bye-bye.- Bye-bye.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Towards the end of the 19th century,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28a new alternative to tooth pulling arrived.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32For those who could afford it, there was now the option of a filling,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34thanks to the dental treadle drill.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38So, I think the only thing we haven't talked about is this instrument here.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42- Right.- And I suppose this must be, is it the treadle drill?
0:12:42 > 0:12:43Yes, the treadle drill.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Till about 1870 you didn't even have this sort of drill,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50and it works simply on the basis that you're going to put your foot up and down
0:12:50 > 0:12:53on the treadle, this revolves, comes right round here,
0:12:53 > 0:12:57drives gears in there right down to the handpiece.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59- Oh! It's a skill getting it started. - It is indeed.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Often, if you twist that...
0:13:01 > 0:13:06- Ah, so you start that off like that. - You've got to keep up a motion.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07Oh!
0:13:07 > 0:13:10- Yeah, there we go.- Not easy. You're doing well.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12You've got to get your timing right on this.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16That's great. You've got to concentrate on that, concentrate on your hand,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18concentrate on the patient's mouth.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22All the time trying to instil some confidence in the patient, I suppose!
0:13:22 > 0:13:26- You've got to think about so many things at once.- Absolutely right.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29The faster you go, the better it is, cos there's less vibration on the tooth.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33- There's still quite a lot. - I'll try and get a bit of speed up.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35You've got the speed, that's good.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Keep it up, then slowly get that on to the tooth.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- That's good, the faster the better. - DRILL WHIRS
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Ah, you can really get a... Kind of vicious, isn't it?
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Starting to drill it, though. That's it.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Having this done must have been quite expensive, then?
0:13:51 > 0:13:52Indeed it was expensive.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56So much so that poor people wouldn't have had fillings usually.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59They just would have waited until they had awful toothache,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01had the tooth taken out, and that was it.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05And indeed there were some people who even had,
0:14:05 > 0:14:06perhaps a bit later in the century,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09had teeth out for their 21st birthday.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Particularly females.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16The idea was they'd have the teeth taken out before they got married,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19and then there'd be no expense for the future husband.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22- Really?- Yeah. All the teeth gone, that was the end of it.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25- Well, thanks very much for your advice.- My pleasure.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- I think I might have another go on this.- You do.- So let me just...
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- Don't let anyone know! - THEY LAUGH
0:14:32 > 0:14:34DRILL WHIRRS
0:14:34 > 0:14:36- I'm getting better at it now. - You are, yeah.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Outside, Ruth is discovering
0:14:41 > 0:14:44making a sheep-gut condom requires patience.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48This has definitely changed in the alkali.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52It's certainly bleached it.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54It's much paler than it was,
0:14:54 > 0:15:00and it seems to have loosened all the mucus membrane.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Now, the next thing I've got to do with it...
0:15:04 > 0:15:06so it says, is to sterili...
0:15:06 > 0:15:11Well, is to smoke it in brimstone smoke. It doesn't say what for.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13I think it's to sterilise it.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17So if I just...stick this on the line for a minute.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23Urgh!
0:15:24 > 0:15:26SHE LAUGHS
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Brimstone, of course, is sulphur.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34So I got some of that out of the lab, just plain old sulphur.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36And I've got to burn it.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40I also found in the lab this sort of Victorian smoke vessel.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46So what I've got to do is make the smoke inside there
0:15:46 > 0:15:49with all of that hanging in there. SHE LAUGHS
0:15:49 > 0:15:54So the fumes that you get off sulphur are quite poisonous.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Which is good, in that it kills the bugs.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59You've just got to be careful it doesn't kill the people too.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05OK, that's starting to look a bit more active, isn't it?
0:16:09 > 0:16:10In it goes.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Lid on.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Quite weird, isn't it, making condoms,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20and it looks like some sort of laboratory experiment at school!
0:16:20 > 0:16:23SHE LAUGHS
0:16:24 > 0:16:27The fumes seem to be clearing, so presumably that's that.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Just got to wash 'em out now and cut into lengths.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35I don't want to offend my customers
0:16:35 > 0:16:37by making them an inappropriate size.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39SHE LAUGHS
0:16:40 > 0:16:42OK.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Tied.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48That is just...too weird for words.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Hang it on the line and let it dry.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54The finished products would not have been cheap,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57so the custom generally was to wash them after use
0:16:57 > 0:16:59and keep for next time.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06Contraception was probably not on the minds of most of the men
0:17:06 > 0:17:08buying sheep-gut condoms like the ones Ruth has made.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Purchased mainly to protect against disease
0:17:11 > 0:17:14rather than to guard against pregnancy,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16a gentleman customer would expect the pharmacist
0:17:16 > 0:17:18to supply them in confidence.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Of course, this would very much be a sort of discretion trade,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24one amongst gentlemen.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29People really would not appreciate having their private lives
0:17:29 > 0:17:32known about and discussed.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35It's really about being able to trust the person
0:17:35 > 0:17:37you get these products from.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39And really, there's two things.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42It's one, you don't want anyone to know that you've bought them
0:17:42 > 0:17:45in the first place, and secondly, that you want to be able to
0:17:45 > 0:17:49trust the actual products themselves and know that they'll work.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Condoms in one form or another had been available for centuries,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54whether they were made of sheep gut
0:17:54 > 0:17:57or, after the vulcanisation of rubber, made of rubber.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00They'd never had an effect whatsoever on the birth rate.
0:18:00 > 0:18:01They had been used almost exclusively
0:18:01 > 0:18:04to protect men from sexual disease
0:18:04 > 0:18:08when they were busily playing around.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Without effective birth control,
0:18:11 > 0:18:16in the 19th century, unwanted pregnancies were all too common.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19However, pills were becoming available that regulated
0:18:19 > 0:18:20women's periods.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23And a side effect of these pills was that,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27if taken during pregnancy, they could trigger a miscarriage.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30The lurid safety warnings on these medicines gave them
0:18:30 > 0:18:34an obvious appeal to women desperate to end their pregnancies.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37A fact that was not lost on many pharmacists,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41who did a roaring trade in female pills.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45It wouldn't be particularly hard to go and openly buy female pills,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47because they had this perfectly acceptable use.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51The knowledge of how to use them to produce an abortion,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53that was the dodgy thing.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56That was illegal and considered to be immoral
0:18:56 > 0:18:59and against the teachings of the church,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03and huge social pressure against that sort of knowledge.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08It was quite suppressed. It was also, of course, very dangerous,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11taking totally unregarded amounts of things that are toxic
0:19:11 > 0:19:14in your system. People got into a terrible state.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18An awful lot of women died, trying to induce abortion.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20In the pharmacy's display case,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24Ruth has discovered another disguised attempt at contraception.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26This is one of the most exciting things
0:19:26 > 0:19:28I think I've found in the pharmacy.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31A universal douche.
0:19:31 > 0:19:37It may not sound much, but it is in fact one of the first
0:19:37 > 0:19:39widely-available forms of contraception.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43You'd never know, would you, from the packaging.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46It's very, very carefully general.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51It says, "Universal douche. For directions, see inside lid."
0:19:51 > 0:19:53It's only when you open and read it
0:19:53 > 0:19:57that the word "Universal vaginal douche" comes in.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02And that's it, this could be openly on the shelves,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05because there were medical uses for vaginal douche,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07for the hygiene, keeping the vagina clean.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12You sort of had to be in the know
0:20:12 > 0:20:14that it was also a form of contraception.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17For hundreds of years,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21douches have been one of the most popular forms of birth control.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23In reality, they were unlikely to work,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27and might have even increased the chances of conception.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34I think the biggest surprise was the social role that the chemists
0:20:34 > 0:20:39and druggists had in making healthcare available to the masses.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44This was a time when you either had to be rich or pay a lot of your money
0:20:44 > 0:20:48to the apothecary or the doctor, but now the honest working man could go
0:20:48 > 0:20:53at the end of his day and buy healthcare for his family.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58Their cost to look after their family and their medicaments went down
0:20:58 > 0:21:00to one twentieth of what it was beforehand.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05A remarkable accessibility to health which wasn't there before.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08A Victorian invention that was also becoming popular
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and accessible was photography.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Terry King has set up a dark room in the lab,
0:21:13 > 0:21:18and has processed the film from the plate camera to make a negative.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22- There we go.- Is this the moment of truth, then?- The moment of truth.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Let's see if we've got something on it.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28There we are.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33- Wow.- I think that's pretty good, don't you?- Great.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35That's quite good, that.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39- Wow.- I think we should feel fairly pleased with ourselves.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- Right, so do we need to hang this up, then?- Let's hang it up.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45- Shall I hold this here?- OK.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50- Right on the edge? - Slide it in.- OK. Brilliant.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53- Lovely.- Brilliant.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57The negative must now be left to dry before the print can be made.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Tom's photography lesson is about to reveal
0:22:03 > 0:22:05a snapshot of Victorian society.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08He's mixing up gum arabic,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11a glue-like substance sometimes used in food preparation,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14with the light-sensitive chemical potassium dichromate
0:22:14 > 0:22:16and a coloured pigment.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21Together, they create a photographic emulsion that reacts with sunlight,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23a technique that was particularly attractive
0:22:23 > 0:22:25to the discerning photographer.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31- So, this idea of making almost a paint, isn't it?- That's right.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35This is the sort of thing that amateur photographers would be doing
0:22:35 > 0:22:37towards the end of the 19th century?
0:22:37 > 0:22:40What was happening was that all the amateur photographers had got
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Mr Kodak, Mr George Eastman,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47and all the posh people thought, "Oh, dear,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50"all these nasty lower orders are making photographs,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53"and we've got to do something more arty."
0:22:53 > 0:22:57This was a way of making photographs look like paintings.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59This is essentially a photographic watercolour.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04What we need to do now, Tom, is for you to coat the paper. OK?
0:23:04 > 0:23:05- Ready?- Ready. Off you go.
0:23:07 > 0:23:13- That's it.- One more?- Continue... Yeah. That's it.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15It really is just like painting, isn't it?
0:23:15 > 0:23:19- It's amazing how close it is. - Just like painting your front door.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Right, that's fine. Well done.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Tom and Terry have reached the final stage of the photographic process.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31To create the finished picture,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35the gum arabic mixture needs to be placed under the negative
0:23:35 > 0:23:36and exposed to the sun.
0:23:36 > 0:23:41Photography's absolutely central to so many different activities
0:23:41 > 0:23:44in the late 19th century, isn't it?
0:23:44 > 0:23:48Yeah, right from the beginning, it was everything from military,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51spying, taking photographs from balloons,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55practically any activity you could think of,
0:23:55 > 0:24:00photography was involved in one way or another, just as it is today.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06The sunlight hardens the gum arabic mixture,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08binding the pigment to the paper
0:24:08 > 0:24:12and creating an image which looks rather like a watercolour.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16The popularity of this artistic method with wealthier photographers
0:24:16 > 0:24:19added to the pharmacy's already lucrative photographic business.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25I can now remove the glass and the negative, and there we have an image.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29What we want to do now is to wash away the softer parts
0:24:29 > 0:24:33so that we get an image with more contrast.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Many of the developments in photography actually came
0:24:37 > 0:24:38from pharmacists.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41So pharmacists are involved with the technology
0:24:41 > 0:24:45and developing all the chemicals and all these different things?
0:24:45 > 0:24:46It's the sort of thing,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49if you were really good at this particular side
0:24:49 > 0:24:51of the pharmacy business,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53do you think you could set up on your own, maybe?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56I don't think there's any doubt about that.
0:24:56 > 0:25:02- They supplied the professional photographer.- Oh, yeah!
0:25:02 > 0:25:08And, of course, millions of amateur photographers throughout the world.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Right, shall we take this and hang it up to dry?
0:25:11 > 0:25:13I think that's a good idea. Right.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Tom's finished photograph is ready for hanging.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Just had our photograph framed.
0:25:28 > 0:25:34Really proud of it, actually. It was such a long process to make.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Much more involved than I imagined.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39It was more like painting a watercolour than anything else.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Very different to the point-and-click photography
0:25:42 > 0:25:44we do today.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49The idea is, we'll put this on the wall and people will come in
0:25:49 > 0:25:53and say, "That looks great, how do I get to make something like that?"
0:25:57 > 0:26:01See this shop, and then us in the middle there,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03looking a little bit like ghosts!
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Nick, Ruth and Tom have traced the evolution of the pharmacy
0:26:11 > 0:26:14through more than 60 years of Victoria's reign,
0:26:14 > 0:26:19reliving a revolution in public healthcare that put a chemist's shop
0:26:19 > 0:26:20in every town in Britain.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26Today's modern pharmacy stocks a vast range of consumer goods,
0:26:26 > 0:26:31and this is a direct result of the entrepreneurial spirit
0:26:31 > 0:26:32of the Victorian pharmacists.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35By the death of Queen Victoria in 1901,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38the pharmacy was forever established
0:26:38 > 0:26:41as the high-street institution we know today.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47I'm about finished back here. How are you doing?
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Yeah, I think I'm pretty much done here, yeah.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Been a long journey, hasn't it?
0:26:54 > 0:26:58I'm never going to go into a pharmacy with the same eyes again.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59Never.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03You take it for granted, it's one of those things that's always there.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Agh!
0:27:05 > 0:27:11I think I value the skills and the experience and the expertise
0:27:11 > 0:27:14of pharmacists so much more than I did before we started.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20In the 19th century, there's so many different things going on,
0:27:20 > 0:27:22it's a place of scientific exploration
0:27:22 > 0:27:25and commercial development and all these different things
0:27:25 > 0:27:29that you don't think about when you're just going to the pharmacy.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Go on, just for us!
0:27:31 > 0:27:35I think I'll take away pride in the fact that
0:27:35 > 0:27:37'chemists are retail environments.'
0:27:37 > 0:27:38We have some.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40'And that's not something to be ashamed of -
0:27:40 > 0:27:42'it's something to be proud of.'
0:27:42 > 0:27:45It's something which brought health to the masses
0:27:45 > 0:27:48in an accessible, effective way.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52And it's something we should be proud of and celebrating.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03- I suppose we'd better head off. - Yeah. Leave this lovely place behind.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Right, well, it's sad to see it go, really.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07It is. It is, I'll be very sad.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12It'll be sad, not being part of this Victorian world anymore.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16It is time to go, though, isn't it?
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:40 > 0:28:42E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk