‘Sztanglasy’

They were used to store the various substances needed to make medicines. Made of dark glass, they protected the contents of the bottle from the adverse effects of light and prolonged the shelf life of the preparations stored in them. Glass owes its colour to various additives, e.g. ruby glass contains gold and blue glass contains cobalt. There are also light green ones containing uranium, which are fluorescent in the ultraviolet. The Polish pharmacist and chemist Teodor Torosiewicz (1789-1876) was the one who examined how to protect pharmaceuticals from the sunlight and suggested to use stained glass for that purpose. Coloured glass was also used in pharmacies for its aesthetic value. The colourful display is eye-catching and delightful.