The History of Pharmacy
By: Gabby Camilleri and Hayden Thompson
The development of the term Pharmacist
The word 'pharmacist' was first used in England in 1834, in a novel by Lytton called The Last Days of Pompeii. But, it was also used from in 18th century with the meaning of someone who prepared and dispensed medicines. Despite that, at the beginning of the 19th century most people working in this area would have called themselves chemists and/or druggists. The terms pharmacist and pharmaceutical chemist, came later in the 1800s.
1820
The alkaloid quinine was first extracted from the bark of cinchona trees by two French chemists, Pierre Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Biename Caventou.
1883
First edition of The Extra Pharmacopoeia published, edited by William Martindale and Dr Wynn Westcott
1910
Salvarsan, the first 'magic bullet' drug, effective against syphilis was discovered by Paul Ehrlich and Dr Sahachiro Hata.
1917
The Venereal Disease Act prohibited the advertising of medicines for VD and selling
mixtures containing scheduled substances. It introduced the concept of 'prescription only' medicines.
mixtures containing scheduled substances. It introduced the concept of 'prescription only' medicines.
1922
The Dangerous Drugs Act regulated the import and sale of potential 'drugs of addiction',
including the derivatives of opium, cocaine and cannabis so widely used in proprietary remedies.
including the derivatives of opium, cocaine and cannabis so widely used in proprietary remedies.
1940
Under the Finance (No. 2) Act purchase tax was imposed on a range of goods including most drugs and medicines.
1941
The Pharmacy and Medicines Act repealed the old medicine stamp duty. It forbade the general advertisement of products claiming to treat a number of specific illnesses including Bright's disease, cataract epilepsy and TB, or to be effective in procuring an abortion. For the first time manufacturers were required to list the active ingredients of products on their packaging.
1944
The Public Health Services Act of 1944 gave authority to the Bureau of Biologics (part of the FDA) to regulate radioactive biological drug products.
1948
The National Health Service made prescription medicine available to all. Until the introduction, in the 1950s, and subsequent hefty increasing of prescription charges, proprietary medicines were no longer seen as a cheap alternative to seeing the doctor.
1961
Ibuprofen was first synthesised by a team at the Boots Pure Drug Company in December.
1962
The FDA passed the Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendments which increased the level of federal control over production and testing of drugs, before being released for sale to the public.
1964
Introduction of Adverse Drug Reaction 'yellow card' scheme in reponse to the thalidomide tragedy of 1961.
2013
Alecitnb was granted Breaking Therapy Designation by the FDA for people with ALK-positive NSCLC whose disease progressed on crizotinib