Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy

Located in the refurbished home of a 16th century merchant since 1987, Kaunas, Lithuania’s Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy was first established in 1936 by Alfonsas Kaikaris, a professor of pharmacy.

Kaikaris’ personal collection of pharmaceutical paraphernalia provided the foundation of the museum’s collection, which was later expanded by contributions from the Lithuanian Pharmacists’ Union. The museum is now a part of the Kaunas University of Medicine and holds a sprawling collection of medical instruments and tools, and displays including a relocated pharmacist shopfront and fittings and an early-20th-century dentist’s studio. Traditional medications such as “Erektosan,” an early Lithuanian folk version of Viagra, and “Caput Mortuum”, a medieval male vitality booster and epilepsy treatment composed of human remains, are also displayed.