History of FARMACY

1. HISTORY OF PHARMACY
PRESENTED BY:
DR.TAYYABA RANA

2. BEFORE THE DAWN OF HISTORY
From beginnings, as remote and simple as these, came the proud profession of pharmacy. It’s
development parallels that of man.
Among the several characteristics unique to Homo Sapiens is our tendency to treat ailments,
physical and mental with medicines.
Ancient man learned from instinct, from observation. Cool water, a leaf, dirt or mud was his
first soothing application.
By trial, he learned which served him best. Eventually he applied his knowledge for the benefit
of others.

3. PRE-HISTORY PHARMACY
Since humanities earliest past, Pharmacy has been a part of everyday life. Some of mankind’s
oldest settlements indicate that pre historic people gathered plants for medicinal purposes.
By trial and error, the knowledge of the healing properties of certain natural substances grew.

4. GREEK CIVILIZATION
During the millennium that followed the roots of modern medical
profession in the west arouse from Greek civilization.

5. ASKLEPIOUS (GOD OF HEALING)
Beginning in the 7th century BC, Asklepios gradually replaced Apollo as the greatest of the
healing gods.
At the touch of his hands or of the tongue of his sacred serpent, miraculous things happened.
The staff of Asklepios entwined by a Sacred serpent gradually emerged as the official symbol of
medicine around the world.
On the right hand of Asklepios stood Hygeia, one of his daughter. Her arm entwined by a
serpent and holding a bowl thought to have contained a healing poison.
In the earliest records one finds a similar mixed concept of drug or Pharmakon , a Greek word
that meant “magic spells’’ or “poison”.

6. HIPPOCRATES
From another period in Greek history the greatest name that is still with us today is that of
Physician Hippocrates known as the “father of medicine”.
He is one of the most important name in the development of Pharmacy as a profession based
on scientific knowledge rather than a mixture of medicine and spiritual acts.
During this period the word Pharmakon came to mean “a purifying remedy”.
He mentioned around 200-400 drugs as well as methods of carrying out various
Pharmaceutical processes.

7. DIOSCORIDES
He was a Greek Physician and botanist.
He was the first scientist to deal botany as an applied science of Pharmacy .
His work “De Materia Medica”, is considered a milestone in the study of naturally occurring
medicinal materials. This area of study is today known as “Pharmacognosy”
He explained methods of preparing crude drugs from opium and many other botanical drugs.

8. CLAUDIUS GALEN
He was a renowned Greek Pharmacist and Physician.
He practiced and taught both medicine and pharmacy in Rome.
He wrote 500 books on medicine including numerous drugs of natural origin, formula and
methods of compounding.
It was his tremendous work in the field of crude natural origin drugs that still today his name is
associated with that class of pharmaceuticals compounded by mechanical means –“Galenical
Preparations”.
The most famous of his formulas is one for a cold cream called Galen’s cerate, essentially
similar to that known today.

9. MUSLIM ERA (GOLDEN
ERA OF PHARMACEUTICAL
PROGRESS)
As western Europe struggled, a new civilization arouse among
those who followed the teachings of Muhammad (P.B.U.H).

10. ABBASID CALIPHATE
In Baghdad, the first Pharmacy was established in 754 under the Abbasid caliphate during the
Islamic golden age.
The clear-cut separation of the two professions, Physicians and Pharmacist was done in 800
A.D in Abbasid caliphate.

11. IBN-E-SINA
Among the brilliant contributors to the sciences of Pharmacy and Medicine during the Arabian
era was one genius who seems to stand for his time - the Persian, Ibn-e-Sina (about 980-1037
A.D.), called Avicenna by the Western world.
Pharmacist, poet, physician, philosopher and diplomat.
He wrote the famous book “ Kitab Al Shifa ( the book of healing ).
He also described 700 preparations, their properties, mode of action and their indications.

12. AL-BERUNI
He wrote one of the most valuable Islamic works entitled “Kitab-ul-Saydalah” - the book of
drugs.
He gave detailed knowledge of the properties of drugs and outlined the role of Pharmacy and
the functions and duties of the Pharmacist in this book.
He was known as Father of Arabic Pharmacy.

13. MODERN AGE & EARLY
RESEARCH
Upon this time, pharmacy remained a function of medicine. But
with increasing variety and complexity of compounding, forced
physicians to quit pharmacy and focus more on healing.

14. FREDERICK-II - SEPARATION OF
PHARMACY AND MEDICINE
In European countries exposed to Arabian Influence, public pharmacies began to Appear in the
17th century.
However, it was not until about 1240 A.D. That, in southern Italy, Pharmacy was separated from
Medicine. Frederick II, was Emperor of Germany.
At his palace, he presented subject Pharmacists with the first European edict completely
separating their responsibilities from those of Medicine, and prescribing regulations for their
professional practice.

15. EDWARD JENNER
Remarkable advance in medicine and Pharmacy took place in the year 1796 when Edward
Jenner performed the first vaccination on a human patient.

16. FRIEDRICK SERTURNER
He was a German Pharmacist.
He isolated Morphine from Opium.

17. REFERENCE
Ansel’s Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms and Drug Delivery Systems (10th Edition): Chapter 1 -
Introduction to Drugs and Pharmacy. Page no. 4-8.