ORIGINS OF PHARMACY

Origins

pharmacy began as an ancient art; combined nature with spiritualism. use of drugs in health is as old as civilization itself. early methods used trial and error far eastern countries relied on healing properties of plants & herbs traditional eastern medicine relied on botanicals. "pharmacy: comes from "pharmakon" - drug/remedy (Greek)

Hippocrates

ca. 460-360 BC - Greek physician, believed illness had a rational & physical explanation "4 Humors:" must be correct balance to maintain health; formed traditional western medicine practiced today "Father of Medicine" Created Hippocratic Oath - code of conduct for doctors & basis of all medical practice today Stressed importance of good diet, fresh air, cleanliness, and exercise Learned by observation  

The Four Humors

https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/legacy-humoral-medicine/2002-07

Dioscorides

Greek physician, wrote one of the world's greatest pharmaceutical texts: "De Materia Medica" - "On Medical Matters" - served as the medical standard reference text for drugs & is considered fore-runner of modern day references (ex. United States Pharmacopeia & Physician's Desk Reference)

Galen

c. 100 CE/AD physician, surgeon, philosopher contributed to several fields in medicine such as: anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, & neurology theorized that the body had two circulatory systems (FALSE, disproved by William Harvey in 1616)  studied effects of herbal medicine on the human body, leading to the term "Galenical Pharmacy," or the process of creating extracts of active medicinals from plants.