Oskar Fridrich Woldemar Mildebrath (March 2, 1849 – January 9, 1900) was a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

who founded one of the oldest rural

pharmacies Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

in the country that stayed in business continuously at the same place, in the same building for 122 years. Oskar Mildebrath was born on March 2, 1849, in Koluvere, Läänemaa,

Governorate of Estonia The Governorate of Estonia, also known as the Esthonia (Estland) Governorate, was a province (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire. It was located in the northern Estonia with some islands in the West Estoni ...

to Martin Friedrich Mildebrath and Julie Elisabeth (née Anderson). Martin Friedrich Mildebrath himself was originally from Woedtke in

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

. Mildebrath graduated as a pharmacist from

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.

. He worked at the

Haapsalu Haapsalu () is a seaside resort town located on the west coast of Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Lääne County, and on 1 January 2020 it had a population of 9,375. History The name ''Haapsalu'' derives from the Estonian words ' ...

pharmacy between 1875 and 1877. In 1877–1878, he participated in the Russo-Turkish War. From 1880 to 1885 he worked at

Raeapteek The Raeapteek (; ) is a pharmacy in the center of Tallinn, Estonia. Opposite the Town Hall, at 11 Raekoja plats, Tallinn, Raekoja plats, it is one of the oldest continuously running pharmacies in Europe, having always been in business in the sam ...

, the

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

's Town Hall Pharmacy, where he was the first

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

-speaking pharmacist with a university degree. Mildebrath was also a member of the

Society of Estonian Literati The Society of Estonian Literati ( – EKmS) was an influential association of Estonian intellectuals based in Tartu between the years 1871 and 1893.Toivo U. Raun, ''Estonia and the Estonians'', Hoover Press, 2001, , p75 History The articles of ...

and considered one of the most outstanding intellectuals living in the town at the time. On July 30, 1886, Mildebrath founded one of the oldest rural pharmacies in Estonia, at Kullamaa. It stayed in business continuously for 122 years, until 2008.

References

1849 births 1900 deaths People from Lääne-Nigula Parish People from Kreis Wiek Pharmacists from the Russian Empire Scientists from the Russian Empire 19th-century Estonian scientists University of Tartu alumni {{Estonia-academic-bio-stub