Pharmaceutical Technology01

Faculty Of Science & Engineering
Department Of Pharmacy
Assignment On
“Earlier period of pharmacy”
Course Title : Pharmaceutical technology
Course Code : BPH-222
Submitted To
Md. Saddam Hossain
Lecturer
Department of Pharmacy
University of Information Technology and Sciences
(UITS)
Submitted By
Susmita Begum
ID : 0432220011091008
Batch : 18th
Semester : Spring-24
Date Of Submission : 23-01-2024

1
INDEX
Si Topic Page No.

No.
• Introduction.
• The nature of the history
01 02-03
of pharmacy.
• Pharmaceuticalsmedicines
and drugs.
• Sources in the history of

02 pharmacy. 03
• Oral history.
• Pharmacy artefacts
03 04
• Previous histories of
pharmacy
• Conclusion
04 05
• Reference
2
Introduction:
In antiquity, pharmacy emerged as an ancient craft, intertwining with early
medical practices. From the mystical concoctions of ancient civilizations to the
meticulous compounding skills of apothecaries, the earliest chapters of
pharmacy reveal an era where knowledge of plants and substances laid the
foundation for healing arts.
The nature of the history of pharmacy:

The history of pharmacy encompasses the entire history of medicines and those
who make them. Substances were taken by primitive man for medicinal
purposes long before the start of recorded history. Slowly, individuals within
communities began to specialise in the making of medicines, although in early
civilisations the roles of physician, pharmacist and priest were often combined
in one person. Indeed, for most of recorded history the history of pharmacy has
been inseparable from the history of medicine.
Since the beginning of the 19th century, pharmacy has been firmly grounded in
science, and so the history of pharmacy includes the history of its underpinning
sciences. The most notable of these are pharmacology (the study of the actions
and uses of drugs), pharmacognosy (the study of drugs of natural origin),
pharmaceutical chemistry (concerned primarily with the analysis and synthesis
of drugs), and pharmaceutics (the science of converting active ingredients into
usable pharmaceutical products). The products themselves, and the tools used to
make them, are key features of the history of pharmacy, but it also encompasses
the history of the pharmaceutical industry.
Pharmaceuticals, medicines and drugs:

The products of the pharmacist and the pharmaceutical industry have been
described by many names, the meanings of which have changed frequently over
time. These names include 'pharmaceutical', 'medicine', 'medicinal product',
'therapeutic drug' and just 'drug'. However these words are not entirely
interchangeable, and some clarification is necessary.
Because of the changes that have occurred in the use and meaning of these words,
the preferred term for these products today is 'medicine' rather than 'drug'. Over
the last 20 years, the term 'drug' has increasingly become understood as referring
to illicit substances. It has become too inclusive and too imprecise. However,
substitution of the word 'medicine' is not always appropriate, and the word 'drug'
continues to appear in many phrases concerned with medicines, such as 'drug
3
resist- ance', 'adverse drug reactions', 'drug utilisation studies' and 'drug
interactions'.
The word 'pharmaceuticals' is generally considered to have a broader meaning
than 'medicines'. It refers not only to finished medicines but also to active
ingredients and vaccines. For most practical purposes, however, these two terms
are interchangeable. Nevertheless, 'pharmaceutical' is the term usually used to
describe the industry, whose products can be very wide-ranging: they include not
only bulk ingredients, finished products, vaccines and other biological products,
but also over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, veterinary medicines, diagnostic
products and medical devices.
Sources in the history of pharmacy:

There is now a vast range of material available to the historian of pharmacy. A
search of 'pharmacy' and 'history' in the welcome Library index generates
reference to over 4800 publications. Published sources are normally divided into
primary sources (original documents, illus- trations, artefacts or recordings) and
A useful guide to sources in pharmaceutical history has been published by the
British Society for the History of Pharmacy.Documentary material includes the
archives of professional insti- tutions, like the Society of Apothecaries and the
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB); Acts of Parliament and
documents issued by government departments; the archives of pharmaceutical
com- panies; and prescription records and account books from community
pharmacies.Pharmaceutical histories have been published based on the works of
Shakespeare and Agatha Christie, amongst many others.
Oral history:
Although documents have been the major source of information available to
historians of pharmacy they are by no means the only one. Increasingly, oral
history has been developed, in which interviews with both ordinary practitioners
and those involved in shaping policy are recorded. A series of interviews with
senior figures in the world of pharmacy has been recorded and is lodged with the
RPSGB museum. Separate programmes of interviews with both community and
hospital pharmacists have been completed, and these are available as part of the
National Life Stories Collection in the National Sound Archives at the British
Library in London.
For those interested in this area, a useful introduction to the use of oral history in
the history of medicine has been published by the National Sound Archive at the
British Library.
4
Pharmacy artefacts:
The final source of evidence for the history of pharmacy is its artefacts - those
physical things that have survived the ravages of time. Again, there is great
diversity in these. Perhaps the earliest surviving examples are Egyptian
medicine containers dating from the time of the Pharaohs. There are medicine
pots dating from the 15th century, and large numbers of early pestles and
mortars survive.The final source of evidence for the history of pharmacy is its
artefacts - those physical things that have survived the ravages of time. Again,
there is great diversity in these. Perhaps the earliest surviving examples are
Egyptian medicine containers dating from the time of the Pharaohs. There are
medicine pots dating from the 15th century, and large numbers of early pestles
and mortars survive. Those interested in pharmaceutical artefacts will find Bill
Jackson's many publications illuminating, with his book The Victorian Chemist
and Druggist providing a valuable starting point. There has like- wise been a
wide range of publications describing the vast number of pharmaceutical
inventions that were developed and promoted by their inventors, particularly
those dating from the early 19th century.
Previous histories of pharmacy:

The history of pharmacy has been a neglected and under-researched field within
the broader history of medicine for far too long, yet there is a tradition of writing
about it that extends over 200 years. The earliest written history, at least of British
pharmacy, is usually credited to John Mason Good. He wrote The History of
Medicine, so far as it relates to the Profession of the Apothecary, which was
published in 1795 . This was, however, more of a political treatise than a history,
produced on behalf of one of the predecessors of the RPSGB, the General
Pharmaceutic Association of Great Britain.
After the foundation of the RPSGB in 1841, one of its founders, Jacob Bell, wrote
an account of its formation and development. This was turned into a book, An
Historical Sketch of the Progress of Pharmacy in Great Britain, which he
produced in conjunction with Theophilus Redwood . The book became the first
on the history of pharmacy published by the RPSGB itself, in 1880.
5
Conclusion:
In the earlier periods of pharmacy, ancient practitioners laid the groundwork for
medicinal knowledge, utilizing herbs and natural substances. Their contributions,
rooted in empirical wisdom, established the foundations for the sophisticated
pharmaceutical field we know today, illustrating the enduring significance of
historical practices in shaping contemporary healthcare.
Reference:
1. Anderson, S. (Ed.). (2005). Making medicines: a brief history of pharmacy
and pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical Press.
2. Jepson M H. From Dioscorides to Derrick Dunlop: Developing Quality
Standards of Medicines. Special joint lecture. London: British Society for
the History of Pharmacy and the Society of Apothecaries, November 2003.
3. Jepson M H. The history and scope of pharmacy. In: Strickland-Hodge B,
Jepson M H, Reid B J. Keyguide to Information Sources in Pharmacy.
London: Mansell Publishing, 1989: 3-21.
4. Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, Fourth Edition, Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1951.
5. Porter R. The Greatest Benefit to Mankind. A Medical History of Humanity
from Antiquity to the Present. London: Harper Collins, 1997: 284, 389,
681.

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Faculty Of Science & Engineering

Date Of Submission : 23-01-2024

Si Topic Page No.

• Sources in the history of

The nature of the history of pharmacy:

Pharmaceuticals, medicines and drugs:

Sources in the history of pharmacy:

Previous histories of pharmacy:

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