1967 WILLIAM PROCTOR MORTAR and PESTLE BOOKENDS Apothecary PROMO PHARMACY

Description

The two mortar and pestle bookends feature William Procter, Jr., the father of American pharmacy. Procter is seen seated with a map of the United States above him at the right. The building (in front of the map) perhaps represents the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, from which he graduated and where he spent much of his professional life. The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, founded in 1821, was the first educational institution in North America to teach pharmacy to students. Mortar and pestle parts of the bookends appear to be a heavy cast metal that was brass plated and attached / welded to flat metal bases. The pair of bookends is vintage, but we do not know the exact date when they were made. The surface patina is nice. They are old, with some wear / discolorations from age and handling. These are in good condition.
A summary of Procter's accomplishments:" THE FATHER OF AMERICAN PHARMACY.” Rarely has a titular distinction been so deserved. William Procter, Jr., graduated from The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 1837; operated a retail pharmacy; served the College as Professor of Pharmacy for 20 years; was a leader in founding The American Pharmaceutical Association; served that organization as its first secretary; later, as its president; served 30 years on the U.S.P. Revision Committee; was for 22 years Editor of the American Journal of Pharmacy. In 1869, though retired, Procter continued to edit the Journal in a small publication office located beside the College's Tenth Street building. From retirement he returned to P.C.P.'s chair of Pharmacy in1872; literally died "in the harness," in 1874." [from the website of Washington State University's College of Pharmacy] (According to another Ebay seller, these bookends were made in 1967 for the 150th anniversary of Proctor's birth.)