History of PharmacyPractice

After completing this chapter, youshould be able to:

• Explain the origins of modernpharmacy practice.

• Compare and contrast modernand historic pharmacy practice.

• List some landmark referencesfor pharmacy practitioners.

INTRODUCTIONPharmacy is the science of preparing and dispensingmedications, as well as supplying drug-related information topatients and consumers. Basically, the pharmacy team ischarged with the challenge of getting the right patient theright medication in the right form and dose at the right time.The practice of pharmacy, therefore, is directly related to thefields of medicine and chemistry. It is incorporated into abranch of the medical sciences called materia medica. Thisarea of science is concerned with the sources, nature,properties, and preparations of drugs.

Pharmacy is also deeply immersed in the larger field of healthcare. In modern times, changes in health care have acceleratedrapidly and show no signs of slowing down. The pharmacytechnician is a relatively recent addition to the health care teamand is a position growing in scope, as well as in practice. In short,the role and responsibilities of pharmacy technicians continue tochange dramatically, and thus there is a serious need foreducation and training. With the support of well-trained andeducated technicians, the pharmacist is able to devote therequired time and effort to patient counseling, drug utilizationreview, and consultations with other health care providers.

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The Pharmacy Technician Series: Fundamentals of Pharmacy Practice, by Mike Johnston.Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.

The 21stcentury isforecasted

to bring continued, stronggrowth to the pharmacyprofession. In the finaldecade of the 20th centu-ry (1990–1999), the UnitedStates recorded an in-crease of nearly 54 per-cent in prescriptions beingfilled. Industry analysts ex-pect a continued increasein excess of 35 percent by2010. Many factors con-tribute to these statistics,such as longer life ex-pectancies, the release ofinnovative new drugs, andan aging “baby-boomer”populations.

2 Chapter One History of Pharmacy Practice

Evolution of Pharmacy PracticeIn order to understand the pharmacy practices of the modern world, it isnecessary to first explore the history of pharmacy. By doing this, we will havea greater understanding of the beginnings and evolution of the practice ofpharmacy.

Originally, the field of pharmacy was combined with both medicine andreligion. Men and women who practiced pharmacy often administered reli-gious rites as well. These were the medicine men, shamans, and religiousleaders of their communities. This association remained imbedded in phar-macy for hundreds of years.

Specialization of pharmacy as a profession first began in the eighth cen-tury in an area that is now known as Baghdad. The occupation of pharmacyprogressively spread to Europe and took on the name alchemy. Alchemyeventually evolved, with the help of the physicians of the time, into what weknow as chemistry. In fact, in Australia today, the pharmacist is still knownas a chemist.

The physicians of antiquity often not only diagnosed their patients, butalso prescribed and dispensed the medications. Over time, there grew a needfor specialists who would be able to compound the medications in bulk.About the year 1200, Frederick the Great decreed the first pharmacy law sep-arating the profession of medicine from the profession of pharmacy. Hence,the field we know as pharmacy grew even further and began to include thecompounding of medications and remedies for the general public. The med-ications that became available were known as elixirs, spirits, and powders.No one regulated the formulas, manufacture, or dispensing of any of thesemedications until centuries later.

As time passed, the line between physicians and pharmacists becamemore defined. Publications arose called Pharmacopeias. The first ones werethe Pharmacopeia of London (1618) and the Pharmacopeia of Paris (1639). Inthese journals were lists of medications, elixirs, and other remedies of thetime. They were recipe books, if you will.

In the United States, circa 1820, the first publication concerning phar-macy was written. This was called the Pharmacopeia of the United States. Thisis still an ongoing publication used by pharmacists and other health care pro-fessionals today. Selections for this resource are made by a group of individu-als who make up the Committee on Revision. These committee membersinclude the Surgeon General of the United States, representatives of all col-leges of medicine and pharmacy, as well as representatives of all state medicaland pharmaceutical associations.

CONCLUSIONAs has been explained in this historical overview of pharmacy practices, thepharmaceutical field has become highly regulated and much larger in scopeover time. Legislation and regulatory organizations are a dominant factor, butso is the growing need for safe, effective, and affordable health care. The fieldof pharmacy is very challenging and rewarding: but before an individual de-cides to enter this field, a proper education and knowledge base are required.

The historicroots ofpharmacy

can still be noticed in ourlanguage, as many termsused in pharmacy todayare derived from Greekand Latin.

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CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS

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1. Why should you keep current in your skills andknowledge of pharmacy?

a. The pharmacy profession is ever evolving.

b. New medications come out practically weekly.

c. Keep current with continuing educationneeds.

d. all of the above

2. Pharmacy was originally mixed in with what?

a. religion c. agriculture

b. politics d. mathematics

3. Pharmacy is incorporated in a branch of themedical sciences called:

a. medicinal management

b. materia medica

c. montria moderna

d. motronial medici

4. The Pharmacopeia originally came from Londonin:

a. 1816 c. 1200

b. 1734 d. 1618

5. The Pharmacopeia of the United States is:

a. an historical relic

b. still used todayc. no longer usedd. used in some schools

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Resources and References

1. Reifman, Noah. Certification Review for Pharmacy Technicians, 6th Ed.Evergreen, CO: Ark Pharmaceutical Consultants, Inc., 2002.

2. American Pharmacist Association. Pharmacy Technician Workbook andCertification Review. Englewood, CO: Morton Publishing, 2001.

3. American Society of Health System Pharmacists. Manual for PharmacyTechnicians. Bethesda, MD: ASHP, 1998.

4. American Society of Health System Pharmacists. Pharmacy TechnicianCertification Review and Exam. Bethesda, MD: ASHP, 1998.

5. Ballington, Don. Pharmacy Practice. St. Paul, MN: EMC Paradigm, 1999.6. Ballington, Don. Pharmacy Practice for Technicians. St. Paul, MN: EMC

Paradigm, 2003.7. Cowen, D. and W. Helfand. Pharmacy: An Illustrated History. New York:

Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated, 1990.8. Lambert, Anita. Advanced Pharmacy Practice for Technicians. Clifton

Park, NY: Delmar, 2002.9. American Pharmacist Association. The Pharmacy Technician. 2nd Ed.

Englewood, CO: Morton Publishing, 2004.

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