Department of Pharmaceutical Science, UMUT

The UMUT holds a collection of pharmacological specimens amounting to 15000 varieties, mainly consisting of research specimens of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science of the University of Tokyo. The existence of numerous specimens dating back to the prewar era gives us an insight into the evolution of research in pharmaceutical science. Pharmacology comprises natural materials such as plants, animals and minerals which serve as base materials for medical and pharmaceutical purposes. In order to clearly establish the constituents of medicine comprising pharmacological elements, historical pharmacological samples are indispensable. Amidst the exhaustion of natural resources, pharmacological specimens become hard to obtain, and those accumulated in research institutes constitute an important resource for the development of new medicine as well as for research in leading-edge science.