1936 Wholesale Druggists' Assoc. Medicinal Plant Map of the United States

This is a 1936 National Wholesale Druggists' Association pictorial map of the United States illustrating medicinal plants. The piece emerged as the pharmaceutical industry was attempting to reinvent itself in the face of widespread public distrust. With drug store shelves unregulated and full of medicinal products based on unsubstantiated crack-pot claims, the National Wholesale Druggists' Association was keen to associate itself with more trusted herbalism and natural medicine.

National Wholesale Druggists' Association

The National Wholesale Druggists' Association (NWDA) is a representative body supporting wholesale druggists. Established in the late 19th century, the NWDA played a critical role in the pharmaceutical distribution landscape, advocating for its members and ensuring that industry practices and regulations were aligned with the needs and interests of druggists. When this map was first issued, in the 1930s, the industry, like most others, was suffering through the Great Depression. Economic hardships impacted the operations of wholesalers, their relationships with manufacturers and retailers, and the overall demand for medicines. Moreover, the pharmaceutical industry was largely unregulated and steeped in quack medical products and practices. This culminated in the 1937 Sulfanilamide Disaster, a mass poisoning wherein an untested update to a well-established medication turned it toxic. The disaster prompted congress to pass the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) of 1938, watershed legislation that required pre-market safety testing for new drugs and tightened rules on drug labeling and advertising. This act, more than any other, established national trust in the pharmaceutical industry.

A Closer Look

Seventy-one illustrations of medicinal plants appear throughout the United States, with their scientific names and short captions noting where the plant is native and cultivated and which medications use it. An additional 44 plants from around the world create the map's border. Information on the verso promotes the creation of window displays for National Pharmacy Week and gives display suggestions. The verso provides a list of chemicals used by pharmacists as well as a list of 212 wholesale druggists.

Publication History and Census

This map was edited by Dr. Edwin L. Newcomb and published by the National Wholesale Druggists' Association in July 1936. We note three examples of the 1936 edition in OCLC: Harvard University, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. An earlier edition was published in 1932, of which an example is part of the David Rumsey Map Collection.