ABSTRACT
This typological recording of pesticides is the result of ten years of research in archives at both national and international levels. The manual presented here is of great benefit to laymen, museum experts, and scientists from other disciplines. In the tables, the active ingredients and agents were used to prevent and combat insect pests. The classification of individual substances was followed by an extensive bibliography at the end of the chapter. This investigation completes the scarce records of pesticides used and applied in museum collections. The range of active ingredients and agents used to prevent and combat harmful insects remained relatively manageable until the 16th century. Starting from waxes and fats, inorganic compounds, particularly arsenic and mercury, were increasingly used. To better understand the numerous pesticides that existed and were used during the study period, these active ingredients and agents are divided hereinafter into five categories. Specifically, these are natural and synthetic active ingredients; active ingredient-containing preparations from the industry; and formulations of pharmacists, doctors, and individuals. By utilizing these categories and a chronological assignment, trends can be read in the development of individual active ingredients and agents used to combat harmful insects during the period under review. Initially, natural inorganic or organic agents were used. The chemical industry developed synthetic agents with increasingly complex structures and brought them to consumers via trade. The typological and chronological recording also provides information on which substances were preferred in museums and cultural institutions. Therefore, they are marked in five tables.
