| Mary Box |
 Mary Box was born on the outskirts of Belfast in 1926, where she later attended a Dominican convent and studied pharmacy;
qualifying in 1952. She then settled in London and, in 1954, registered as a pharmacist and worked in community pharmacy.
She recalls learning about St Christopher’s Hospice when it was still under construction and remembers a chance meeting and
informal chat about St Christopher’s with Sister Willens. From this exchange, a friendship grew between the two professionals
and Mary Box became involved in hospice activities. She describes her work as St Christopher's community pharmacist in the
home care service. Most preparations were mixtures such as the Brompton cocktail, used mainly for pain relief. Mary Box describes
how this mixture was made up, how its components changed over time, and the importance of record keeping in relation to controlled
drugs and alcohol. She recalls Robert Twycross and Mary Baines, and their contributions to knowledge of the effects of these
preparations on patients, and on alternative routes for administrating painkillers. Mary Box describes the involvement of
the palliative care team in the care of patients and their relatives, and of the community team’s commitment to palliative
care and the idea of dying with dignity. She recalls the hospice’s active role in educating and opening up dialogue about
matters concerning dying and death in the community. Also discussed is the introduction of technologies into hospice practice,
such as the syringe driver in 1988, and how they were perceived by professionals, patients and carers. Mary Box describes
challenges and achievements in the early days at St Christopher’s and how practices, prescriptions and medicines, as well
as patients and carers’ attitudes towards their illness have changed over time.
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| Interview conducted by Silvia Paz, 03 August 2002 |
| Interview Duration: 60 minutes |
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