THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHARMACY

Pharmacy is defined as the art and science of recognizing, identifying, collecting, selecting, preparing, storing, testing, compounding and dispensing all substances used in preventive or in curative medicine for treating people. The word “pharmacy” comes from the Greek word pharmakon, which in the modern language means “a drug”. To the Greeks it was associated with a god or higher being who had the power of affecting people with herbs, infusions, etc.

Pharmacy was born in old time when human being started to search for remedies* for treatment of the ailments*. First pharmacies in Europe appeared in 1100 in monasteries. Monks* prepared remedies and supplied them to all needy free of charge. At the same time first prescriptions* were created and they were started with the words “Good luck”. 100 years later first city pharmacies were opened in Venice. Specialists for those pharmacies were prepared in accordance to widely acceptable methods of those times: pupil – apprentice* – master. This preparation chain took 10-15 years (depending on the abilities of each person). The monks created schools and laboratories in monasteries. The earliest ever found Pharmacopoeia Articles* for different medicines were created by monasteries scientists. But Monk’s schools were unable to reach scientific opportunities proposed by popular universities in Oxford, Salamanca, Prague and other European cities. So, peak of prime of those universities fell on the 13-th century.

Pharmacy, as an independent branch of medicine was born in Europe in 1240 when the Emperor of Holy Rome* separated pharmacy from medicine. However, there was no special pharmaceutical training at that time. The duty of a pharmacist was to prepare and sell medicines and to help the doctor. In Great Britain assistants to the physicians were called apothecaries.

In the 15-th century first appeared the term “provisor” (from Latin foreseeing, predicting), that explains the importance of the role of the pharmacists in treatment process. The doctor establishes diagnosis and the pharmacist foresees the tendency of the disease and with the aid of proper medicines corrects and predetermines its course and further development. First proper Pharmacopoeia was published in 1581 in Spain.

Much time went till pharmacy became a profession and creation of special medical establishments were found necessary. Hundreds of private schools were opened in Europe that often were headed or owned by the pharmacists.

In 1623 the apothecaries opened a manufacturing laboratory which produced galenical preparations. This was necessary, in their opinion, because the drugs sold were often adulterated*. The laboratory was a great success, and, by 1671, it developed into a real chemical plant. The apothecaries had the right to dispense medicines.

Practices of giving education to the pharmacists within Universities were first introduced in France and England at the beginning of the 19-th century. The education was oriented on gaining knowledge and practical skills in manufacture and use of the medicines. But later educational courses started to include more theoretical subjects. It was connected to the fact that during following decades pharmacies gradually lost manufacturing functions and were more concentrated on sales of the medicines and advises to the patients.

In Russia, pharmacy as a branch of science started its development since the decree of Peter I* in the 18-th century. According to the decree pharmacists got special training at the hospital chemists’* and private chemists’. Some of them had practice at the chemists’ orchards (gardens). The pupils studied botany and had practice of pharmacy at the hospital chemists’. At the end of their study they had an examination for the title of a pharmacist and chemist assistant.

Pharmacy is now made possible by organized pharmaceutical education, pharmaceutical research and pharmaceutical industry.

Notes:

* remedy – лекарство, лекарственное средство;

*ailment – недомогание, нездоровье, болезнь;

* monk – монах;

* prescription – рецепт;

* apprentice – ученик;

* Pharmacopoeia Article – фармакопейная статья;

* adulterated – фальсифицированный, испорченный (примесями);

* Holy Rome – Святой Рим;

* Decree of Peter I – указ Петра I;

* hospital chemists’ – аптеки при больницах.

Exercise 1. Discuss the text, answering the questions.

1. What new facts have you found out about your future speciality? 2. When was pharmacy born? 3. How can you define “pharmacy” now? 4. Is pharmacy an ancient science? Prove it. 5. Who were the first “pharmacists”? 6. How were the pharmacists prepared at that time? 7. What did you learn about the word “provisor”? 8. When were the first educational establishments for pharmacists opened? 9. What was the education of pharmacist oriented on? 10. Why was it necessary to open a manufacturing laboratory? 11. What can you say about the development of pharmacy in Russia?

Exercise 2. Look through the text and find the degrees of comparison of adjectives.

Exercise 3. Finish the sentences according to the text:

1. First pharmacies in Europe… 2. First prescriptions were created and… 3. Monks prepared remedies and … 4. The earliest Pharmacopoeia Articles … . 5. The duty of a pharmacist was … 6. The doctor establishes diagnosis and the pharmacist … . 7. First proper Pharmacopoeia … . 8. In 1623 the apothecaries opened … . 9. Practices of giving education to the pharmacists within Universities … 10. According to the decree pharmacists got special training … .

Exercise 4. Read and say what statement corresponds to the main idea of the text.

1. Pharmacy has developed independently of medicine since early time. 2. Pharmacy has developed independently since the act of the Emperor of Rome. 3. Pharmacy had developed independently of medicine till late seventeenth century. 4. Pharmacy developed independently of medicine because the Medical Act of 1540 permitted practice of medicine to apothecaries.

Exercise 5. Look through the text again and note the differences of pharmacy development in Europe and Russia.

Part iV