HISTORY OF

PHARMACY

PROFESSION

INTRODUCTION

Pharmacy as a profession and as a health care discipline has gone through phenomenal changes and development during the last few decades, at global as well as regional levels.

In the past, Pharmacists were known by names like alchemists, apothecaries and compounders.

Modern pharmacists are professionally qualified, scientifically trained and technically competent health care professionals knowing the secrets and facts of drugs and medicines.

DEFINITION

the original Greek roots

from pharmakospoison.

The word pharmacy is derived

from its root word pharma used

since the 15th–17th centuries.

HISTORY

Wherever civilisation arises; we find pharmacy,

because it fulfils one of man's basic needs.

This effort to grasp from nature for whatever might shield us from danger

It was earlier a service before it came to be known as a profession.

. Fossils from plants with medicinal properties have

been found with the remains of Neanderthals

Early man used these plants as drugs

around 50,000 BC

EGYPT

The ancient Egyptians and their writings tell us that they could supply infusions, decoctions, macerations, inhalations, gargles, poultices, and in fact practically the same type of preparations the older pharmacists of today, would still recognise.

CHINA

Pharmaceutical knowledge at

that period was not confined to the Egyptians.

The Chinese had their book called

Pun Tsao or

Great Herbal, manuscript.

Some of the remedies

described in this book are toad's eyelids for colds, and earthworms rolled in honey

for gastritis.

Belief in divine powers of the oracles and priests to treat illness

GREEK

Socrates, Plato and Aristotle began to escape from the power of the supernatural, which allowed the development of Western science.

They look for natural causes and effects in producing disease

They produced the first clearly recognisabledescriptions of diseases and epidemics

GERMANY

In 1240, the German Emperor

Frederick II separated the

practice of medicine and

pharmacy, giving rise to the

professional pharmacy.

After almost 200 years of

argument, came with the passing of the Apothecaries Act of 1815.

Prior to this, many

apothecaries practiced

medicine, but they weren't

charge for their advice, but only

for the drugs they supplied.

The outcome of the new

Apothecaries Act was a

clearer definition of the two streams of

practice involving,

medicine and pharmacy.

Very soon the discovery of the Sulphonamide group of drugs saved many lives in the Second World War, before Penicillin became freely available.

Many technological improvements during the 19th century ranging from the

stethoscope to X-rays

identification of many of the bacteria responsible for infectious diseases,

put clinical observation and treatment on a much firmer empirical basis.

19TH CENTURY

In 19th century, pharmacy began a transformation from an ART to a SCIENCE.

Scientists began exploring the structure of drugs, linking it to the activity of compounds, and they began to synthesisecompounds with similar structures.

The mass production of drug products had started in industry.

New standards and new knowledge meant new opportunities for precision in prescribing compounding and dosing;

20TH CENTURY

The 20th century will be forever

remembered for its remarkable advances in chemistry,

medicine and pharmacy.

Countless new drugs were

discovered and manufacturers were literally at

war to stay ahead with new patents.

EDUCATION

Later in 1803 six schools of

pharmacy were started in France. Private pharmacy

educational institutions arose in Bavaria, the south east state in Germany in

1808.

Independent pharmacies were first established in 12th century in Italy and then countries like France and Germany.

Pharmacy education at College/ University level started in 1777 in France.

It was in 1821 the first American Pharmacy College - Philadelphia College of Pharmacy admitted the first batch of pharmacy students which was followed by Massachusetts College of

Pharmacy (1823) and New York College of Pharmacy (1829).

CONCLUSION

Although the preparation and preservation of drug products have moved from pharmacy to the pharmaceutical industry, the pharmacist continues to fulfill the prescriber's intentions, by not only dispensing a medication but also by providing a quality product, providing advice and information, and monitoring drug therapy

The face of pharmacy may have changed over the past 1000 years, but its traditional role remains the same.