Occultism and witch trials
· Vanalinn
Mummy Powder at the Town Hall Pharmacy
A substance called “mummy” circulated in early modern European medicine; the pharmacy story connects this belief with Tallinn.
Mummy powder sounds unsettling today, yet historical pharmacies traded in substances associated with mummified remains. Across Europe, the term could cover materials of differing origins and composition. For Tallinn’s Town Hall Pharmacy, the exact product and dates of sale require source verification. The story shows how faith in a substance’s supposed healing power created a market with ethical boundaries very different from our own.
Practical information
Address: Raekoja plats 11
Explore the Town Hall Pharmacy display at Raekoja plats 11. Do not regard the historical substance as a present-day treatment.