history of pharmacology by Saeed Anwar

1. BRIEF HISTORY OF PHARMACOLOGY
History of Pharmacology, Knowledge of drugs and their use in disease is as old as history of
mankind but as a science Pharmacology is quite a young one, the birth date of pharmacology is
not as clear-cut. Primitive men gathered the knowledge of healing and medicine by observing the
nature, noticing animals while ill and by personal experiences after consuming certain herbs and
berries as remedies.
Hippocrates (460B.C.-377B.C)
The Father of Medicine‖ was the first to attempt to separate the practice of medicine from
religion and superstition, developed his pledge of proper conduct for doctors
“I will use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment, but never with
the view to injury and wrong doing…Into whatsoever houses I enter, I will enter to help the
sick”
Ebers papyrus (Egypt)
They describe more than 700 drugs in extensive pharmacopeia of that civilization. Included in
this are: beer, turpentine, berries, poppy, lead, salt and crushed precious stones etc. (Egyptian
remedies)
Dhanvantari
An arly Indian medical practitioner and one of the world„s first surgeons. Regarded as the
source of Ayurveda. ( Ayurveda, a natural system of medicine, originated in India more than 3,000 years
ago. The term Ayurveda is derived from the Sanskrit words ayur (life) and veda (science or knowledge).
Thus, Ayurveda translates to knowledge of life)
He perfected many herbal based cures and natural remedies and was credited with the discovery
of the antiseptic properties of turmeric and the preservative properties of salt which he
incorporated in his cures.
Paracelsus (1493-1541)
 He was a Pioneer of the use of chemicals and minerals (zinc) in medicine.
 He opposed polypharmacy
 willow bark was used to treat fever and pains
 Extract of foxglove plant, used to treat dropsy (CHF) in 1785. Which Contains digitoxin
and digoxin; today called digitalis
 He wrote that “All things are poisons, for there is nothing without poisonous
properties. It is only the dose which makes a thing a poison”. This implies a
recognition of the dose-response relationship that is fundamental to modern
pharmacology.
FRANÇOIS MAGENDIE (1783 – 1855)
 A French physiologist, considered a pioneer of experimental physiology .

2.  He Studied the action of nux vomica (a strychnine-containing plant drug) on dogs,
 He showed that the spinal cord was the site of its convulsant action.
 He described in detail the effects of strychnine injections on animals and also proved that
the poison reached the animal's spinal cord by the blood
 He was able to introduce a variety of new drugs, including morphine, codeine, quinine
and, strychnine.
Claude Bernard (1813-1878)
 A French Physiologist, Further expanded work of Francois Megendie In 1842.
 Claude Bernard discovered that the arrow poison curare acts at the neuromuscular
junction to interrupt the stimulation of muscle by nerve impulses.
 Also Father of Modern Experimental Medicine
Rudolf Buchheim (1820 – 1879)
 Pharmacology was held to have emerged as a separate science in 1847, when Rudolf
Buchheim (a German pharmacologist) , was appointed professor of pharmacology at the
University of Dorpat in Estonia .
 Buchheim built the world„s 1st
pharmacology laboratory at his own expense in the
basement of his home
 Buchheim is remembered for his pioneer work in experimental pharmacology.
 He introduced the bioassay to pharmacology.
 His reputation is overshadowed by that of his student, Oswald Schmiedeberg (Father of
pharmacology)
John Jacob Abel (1857- 1938)
 An American Pharmacologist, ph.D from the university of Michigan and trained under
Schmiedeberg.
 In the United States, the first chair in pharmacology was established at the University of
Michigan in 1890 under John Jacob Abel.
 He was second to isolate epinephrine (1897– 1898) from adrenal gland extracts (first was
Napoleon Cybulski in 1895)
 Isolated amino acids from the blood
 Isolation of histamine from pituitary extract
 Preparation of pure crystalline insulin (1926).
 His student Reid Hunt discovered acetylcholine in adrenal extracts in 1906.
Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915)
 German scientist in the fields of hematology, immunology, and chemotherapy
 Ehrlich skillfully transformed diphtheria antitoxin along with Emil Adolf von Behring,
into an effective preparation, it was first world renown achievement

3.  In1908, Ehrlich was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine
 Also known as father of chemotherapy
Friedrich Serturner
 The German pharmacist who isolated the first alkaloid from opium (Papaver
somniferum) in 1805, administered a very large dose (100 mg) to himself and three
friends, All experienced the symptoms of severe opium poisoning for several days. The
alkaloid was named morphine, for Morpheus, the Greek god of sleep.
 Although humans are no longer used as laboratory animals, they are essential in clinical
pharmacology

4. Father of modern Pharmacology (Oswald Schmiedeberg (1838–1921)
Father of Pharmacology, who was to become the "founder of modern pharmacology".
Father of Pharmacology – Oswald Schmiedeberg
 Oswald Schmiedeberg was a German pharmacologist.
 He is regarded as the Father of Pharmacology.
 He put forward many fundamental concepts in pharmacology
Introduction:
Oswald Schmiedeberg was born in 1838 in Kurland, a Baltic province of Russia (later Latvia). He
studied medicine at Dorpat in nearby Estonia and was strongly influenced by the teaching of Rudolf
Buchheim. In 1847 Buchheim had organized the first institute of Experimental pharmacology.
Schmiedeberg received his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1866 after preparing a thesis on the
determination of chloroform in the blood. He remained at Dorpat where he was appointed as a
lecturer in pharmacology in 1868. When Buchheim left Dorpat in 1869 Schmiedeberg became his
successor. In 1872 he received an appointment as professor of pharmacology at Strassburg where he
stayed for 46 years. Although the value of the science of pharmacology was yet to be proven to the
medical profession, Schmiedeberg began building a world-famous pharmacological institute.
Throughout his life Schmiedeberg published over 200 articles and books. He studied a series of
carbamic acid esters and the relationship between chemical structure and narcotic effectiveness. At
Strassburg initial pharmacological studies were performed on some of the most important drugs and
poisons of that era including muscarine, nicotine, the digitalis glycosides, and various toxic heavy
metals. Schmiedeberg's early observation that ingested camphor was excreted as a hydroxylated form
along with a reducing substance led to the discovery of glucuronic acid. He then was able to show
that glucuronic acid was a component of cartilage and occurred as a disaccharide of chondroitin
sulfate. In his many years of studying the chemistry of mucopolysaccharides and mucoproteins he
elaborated the components of hyaluronic acid and explored its relation to chondroitin sulfate, collagen
and amyloid.
During his administration more than 150 pharmacologists were trained in Strassburg.

5. MUSLIM CONTRIBUTORS
Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said.
“God created no illness, but established for it a cure, except for old age. When the
antidote is applied, the patient will recover with the permission of God.”
The time interval from the 9th
to the 13th
century remained known as the “Golden period of the Arab
science”, and a significant place among the taught sciences are occupied by Medicine and Pharmacy. The
Arab rulers, and especially the Khalifa al-Ma‟mun in the 9th
century, gave a special contribution to the
development of medical science through the establishment of translation schools in which these books
were translated into Arabic. Among the first translated books are also books of great importance for the
development of pharmacy “De Materia Medica”, a book that encompasses an overview of ancient
pharmacy and medicine.
De Materia Medica book
The very first hospital was constructed in Baghdad in 706 AC. The Muslims also used camel
convoys as transportable hospitals, which stimulated from place to place.
JABIR BIN HAYYAN
The Father of Chemistry
 Jabir bin Hayyan was born in 721 A.D. in the Persian city of Tus.
 He gained excellence in the fields of Alchemy, Astronomy, Physics, Pharmacy, Philosophy,
Astrology, and Geography.

6.  Jabir bin Hayyan prepared chemicals, discovered many acids, and prepared, as well as, improved
many chemical processes.
 He gave a detailed description of acetic acid, tartaric acid, and citric acid. Discovery of
hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, and nitric acid
 He combined nitric acid with the hydrochloric acid and invented another acid termed today as
“Aqua Regia”. The latter is strong enough to dissolve gold.
 He discovered chemical procedures as significant as crystallization, melting, distillation,
calcination, reduction, liquidation, and sublimation. Dyeing of cloth and leather, as well as,
preparation of steel are also associated with this great Islamic scientist.
 Around 3000 books are attributed to the name of Jabir bin Hayyan.
 Jabir bin Hayyan described distillation using “alembic” in 8th century
Muhammad ibn Zakarya al-Razi (865-925)
 He was known as Arab Galen and one of the Persian alchemist.
 The most prominent medical works of ar-Razi are “Kitab al-Hawi”, “Kitab al-Mensuri”,
“Kitab al-Muluki” and “Kitab al-Judari,
 Work on pharmacology and toxicology
 It is interesting that he first used opium as an anesthetic.and that drug, prior to being administered
to humans, had been tested on animals in order to estimate their effects and side effects.
Abu Ali Ibn Sina (980-1037)
 His renowned book, Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, stayed a typical textbook even in Europe for over 700
years.
 In field of pharmacology and public health wrote 246 books in which are Kitab-al Shifa (The
Book of Healing) containing 20 volumes Al- Qanun fit Tibb (The Canons of Medicine) and The
Evolution of Modern Science.

7.  Ibn Sina‟s work for communicable diseases, tuberculosis; spreading of diseases by water and soil
and the collaboration between psychology and health.
 Ibn Sina was also the first to describe meningitis and prepared ironic contributions to anatomy,
gynecology and child health.
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (865-925 AD)
 He penned over 200 books, including Kitab al-Mansuri, ten volumes on Greek medicine, and al-
Hawi, an compendium of medicine in 20 volumes.
 He categorized substances as vegetable, animal or mineral while other alchemists divided them
into “bodies”, “souls” and “spirits”.
 He originated a treatment for kidney and bladder stones, and clarified the nature of various
infectious diseases.
 He also accompanied research on smallpox and measles
 He was the first to announce the usage of alcohol for medical purposes.
 He also anticipated therapies first on animals in order to assess their effects and side effects.
 He was also an expert surgeon and the first to use opium for anesthesia.
Al - Idrisi
 Al-Idrisi was born in Cordova, Spain in 1099.
 His major involvement was in medicinal plants which he labeled in many books which are Kitab
al-Jami-li-Sifat Ashtat al-Nabatat.
Abu Muhammad Ibn al-Baitar
 He was one of the paramount scientists of Muslim from Spain and one of the chief botanists and
pharmacists of the Middle Ages.
 He travelled many areas to gather plants as far as Africa and Asia. He composed Kitab al-Jami
al-Adiwaya al-Mufrada.
 The encyclopedia was completed of over 1,400 items.
Yuhann ibn Masawayh (777-857)
 His most famous translations are on hygiene, fever and diets. He wrote about combining drugs
and diets. And He recommended using medicinal herbs to improve the body‟s natural resistance.
Hunayn bin Ishaq (809-873)
 He also wrote about 100 books relating to complex drugs for ocular illnesses.

8. Sabur bin Sahl (died 869)
 He was the first of Arabic collection of formula, which contains methods and techniques of drug
composition, pharmacological activity and dosage.
Ali Ibn Sahl at-Taberi (808-861)
 He wrote a Compendium of Medicine “Firdaws ul-Hikma”, which has 25 chapters on drug
properties.
Ali Ibn „Abbas al-Majusi (925-994)
 He was one of the greatest doctors of the 10th
century.
 He wrote the medical encyclopaedia “Kamil as-Sina‟ah at Tibbiyyah
Abu ar-Rayhan al-Biruni (975-1048)
 From the field of medicine he made a series of books of historiographic and encyclopaedic
character.
 He wrote a text on pharmacy and materia medica “as-Saydanah fit-tibb”. He Defined pharmacy
and drugs pharmacology
Ibn Jazlah (died 1100)
 He wrote about poisons and antibodies.
 And in the compendium “al-Minhay al-Bayan” discussed medications and diets used in various
diseases.
Ibn al-Tilmidh (1073-1165)
 He founded one of the most famous medical schools in Baghdad
 He wrote books on medicine and therapeutics.
 He wrote “al-Aqrabadhin” a pharmaceutical text on the preparation and prescribing of a large
number of medications.
Rabbi Moses bin Maimon (1135-1204)
 He wrote a book on poisons.
Alauddin ibn al-Nafis (1210-1277)
 He was a great physician of the 13th
century.
 He wrote most important books Mu‟giz al-Qanun and Sharh al-Qanun.
 He discussed classification of drugs on the degrees of strength of their activity.

9. Abu ar-Rayhan Hunayn bin Ishaq Ibn al-Haytham Rabbi Moses bin Maimon
al-Biruni
Yuhann ibn Masawah Ali ibn Sahl at-Taberi Abu Kasim al-Zahrawi
Zakarya al-Razi Hasan ibn Ali ibn Sina Alauddin ibn al-Nafis Ibn al-Baitar
By: Dr Saeed Anwar
Lecturer Pharmacology
REFERENCES
1. Clayton, B. D. & Stock, Y. N. ((2001). Basic pharmacology for nurses. 12th ed London: Mosby
2. Clinical Pharmacology : Bennett and Brown 10th edition
3. Goodman and Gilman„s :The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics : 12th edition
4. Basic and clinical pharmacology : Katzung,Masters and Trevor: 11th edition
5. A Brief History of Great Discoveries in Pharmacology. Rubin PR. Pharmacol Rev 2007; 59: 289–359.
6. Aucker, L. (2001). Pharmacology and the nursing process. (3rd ed.). London: Mosby.
7. All Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine". Nobelprize.org.
8. Google scholar
9. Pubmed