HISTORY OF PHARMACY

By:
Tahseen ismail
PHARMACY
Pharmacy is the art of preparing &
designing medications and the provision of
drug related information to the public.
American Pharmaceutical Association
describe the mission of pharmacy as
serving society as the profession
responsible for the appropriate use of
medications, devices & services to achieve
optimal therapeutic outcomes.
According to report of commission of
Pharmacy:
Pharmacy should be conceived
basically as a knowledge system that
renders a health services by
concerning itself with understanding
drugs and their effect.
History:
Why to study History of pharmacy?
Study of History tells:
How the concept of drug evolved
over time & how a separate
profession arose to prepare drug into
medicines in the West or entire
world.

Throughout history drugs have
directly influence the lives of millions
e.g;
Drugs like Insulin, antibiotics &
chemotherapeutic agents have saved
thousands of lives.


Prehistoric Pharmacy
Pre-historic people gathered plants
for medicinal purpose.
Tribal healers or Shamans had
recognition of mastered by all who
practised the domestic medicine of
household.
Early people explained illness in
super natural terms (like other
changes & disasters around them).






Shaman had duty of magical
potions for curing by which they
diagnosed & treated service illness
he/she compounded remedies
needed to stave off the influence of
evil spells or spirits.
Thus drugs were derived as both
simple tools & special substances
with supernatural power.
Even early people discovered only a
small amount/ number of effective
drugs, but the concept of influencing
bodily functions via an outside force
must be considered as humanity
greatest advances.
EGYPTIAN ERA:
When organized settlements arose in
great fertile valleys of Nile, Tigris &
Euphrates & Indies River changes
occurred that gradually influenced
the concept of disease & healing.
Egyptian medicinal texts show close
connection between supernatural &
empirical healing.
They we plant drugs having main
vehicles of healing powers like
laxatives & enemas were prominent.
They specialized in preparation &
sale of drugs.
Eber-papyrus begins rational use of
drugs by developing clay tablets &
papyri.
BABY LONIAN ERA:
Provide medical care by 2 classes:
1.Aspus (Magical healers)
2.Asu (Empirical healers)
Asipu: Related on spells & use
magical stones.
Asu: Used medicinal plants &
manipulated them into several
dosage forms like suppositories, pills,
washes, enemas & ointment.





GREEK-ROMAN ERA:
Gave mixed concept of drugs or
pharmakon, a word that meant
magic spell, remedy or poison.
homer (800 BC) refers to medical
wisdom of Egypt homer described
physicians by the demiourgos which
advanced to diagnosed natural cause
of illness.

Different pharmacist Thales (590
BC), Anaximander (550 BC)
Pharmenides (470 BC), Empedocles
(450 BC) & Hippocratic writers
develop rational explanations of
illness.
Materia medica by Dioscorides,
the standard of drug.
THE RENIASSANCE:
Beginning of Modern Era after dark
age(400 AD-1453 AD).
In 1453 AD Constantinople
(Istanbul), fell to the Turks &
remnant of Greek scholarly society
fled to the west carrying their books
& knowledge with them.
New concepts of diseases & drugs
arose.
Valerians Cordus work on formula
book having name as
Dispensatorium becomes standard
book for preparation of medicine.

Paracelsus chemically prepared the
drugs from crude plants & minerals.
1604 Louis Heberg 1
st
pharmacist in
north America.
W- harvey in 1628 circulation of
blood.
Leeuwan hoel in 1680 discovered
yeast.
In 1703, English Apothecaries
authorized to prescribe as well as to
dispense.
1736 1
st
law related to pharmacy
develop in Virginia (America).

MODERN PHAMACY:
Modern Era started after industrial
Revolution in 1750.
1
st
hospital Pharmacy in 1752 in
Pennsylvania (America).
In 1756, John Morgan supported
prescription writing in USA.
Collage de-Pharmacia in parts in
1777 (1
st
collage of pharmacy).
Edward Jenner vaccination work in
1798.
1848 1
st
American code of
Pharmaceutical Ethics.
1848 1
st
drug import Law by
Congress.
1868 Modern education on Pharmacy
in Michigan University.
1888 1
st
National formulary by
American Pharmaceutical
Association.
1893 Aspirin by A-Eichergrum & felix
Hoffman.
19511
st
national Pharmacopoeia by
WHO.
1906 FDA act of USA.
ISLAMIC ERA:
The crescent of Islam rose from the
horizons to enlighten the faculties of
Basic laws of nature.
Arabs rejected old concepts and
ideas because of new drugs &
species as they conquer new areas.
More elegent & palatable dosage
forms e.g pills & syrups.
1) JABIR BIN HAYAN: (721-815 AD)
GEBER in the west.
Prepared Nitric acid, Sulphuric Acid,
Hydrochloric Acid.
God Father of modern chemistry.
Chemical technique: Sublimation
distillation, melting & crystallization.
Composition of Alchemy.
2) ABU ISHAQ KINDI:
20 books.
Posology (study of dose of drug).
De Medicinarum Compsitarum.


3) ZAKARIYA ALRAZI: (865-925AD)
RHAZES in the west.
Father of pediatrics.
Arbian Medicine.

4)ABU ALI SINA: (980 AD)
Avicenna in the west.
Al Qannun fil tib.
230 books
First to use catheters made of the
skins of various animals.
Intravesical injections by means of
silvers syringe.
5) IBN AL-HAITAM: (975-1039AD)
Al-Hazan in the west.
Great optician.
Discovered magnifying lenses.
Function of retina.
Kitab Al-manazir,mizan-ul-hikma

6)IBN AL-BAITAR:
Collect different plants from Paris to
Syria.
Discovered new plants and extracted
medical drugs.
Jami (book name).
7)ABUL QASIM ZAHRA:(936-1013AD)
Mamoon in the west.
Invented surgical instruments(200).
Placed artificial tooth instead of
diseased.
AL-Tasrif (medical encyclopaedia).