Pharmacy 1

Module 2
History of Pharmacy in
the United States

Dr. Sonia S. Morales, RPh

First Semester
The Empiric Era 1600-1940
 Pharmacopeias were used to protect
public health
 Roots, barks, herbs, flowers, etc., were
used and controlled by the government
 They questioned the toxicological effects
on the human body
 Created interest in testing of drugs and
how they affected the body
Pharmacy History
 Pharmacy in the United States: the early days
◦ Increased recognition and application of the
scientific method in the 1700s, modern pharmacy
emerged
◦ Progress in organic, inorganic chemistry,
immunology, and chemotherapy began to change
pharmacy from empirically based profession to a
knowledge based one
◦ 4 types of pharmacist: the dispensing physician,
the apothecary shop, the general store, and the
wholesale druggist
 Pharmacy History
 Pharmacy in the United States: the
nineteenth century
◦ Began manufacturing and selling chemicals in the
late 1700s, basis of establishing pharmaceutical
companies
◦ World was changing from agriculturally based
economy to an industry based one
◦ Manufacturing of drugs using newly discovered
principles of chemistry
◦ Microbial basis of many diseases
◦ Smallpox vaccine of Jenner
◦ Isolation of drug morphine from opium
 Pharmacy History - Pharmacy in the United
States: the nineteenth century (cont.)
◦ National US pharmacopeia, 1820, in senate
chambers of the U.S. capital in Washington
◦ 1800s states were issuing licenses to apothecaries
◦ 1st was South Carolina
◦ 1821 the Philadelphia college of pharmacy was
founded, 1st pharmacy organization in the united
states , other schools followed quickly
◦ In the later half, pharmacy apprentices with several
years’ experience in apothecary shops would attend
school for a limited amount of time before
becoming licensed pharmacist
Pharmacy History - Pharmacy in the United
States: the nineteenth century (cont.)
 A physician chemist at the university of
Michigan changed that. Albert Prescott
believed that the scientific foundation of
pharmacy should be laid first through
didactic educational programs and only then
should the student attempt to learn the
practical side of the trade through an
apprenticeship
 He was rejected as a delegate at the 1871 AphA
convention in St. Louis but time proved him right!
 Pharmacy History
 Twentieth century pharmacy: a business or a
profession
◦ … if the preparation of medicine is taken from the
apothecary and he becomes merely the dispenser of
them, his business is shorn of half its dignity and
importance, and he relapses into a simple
shopkeeper”
W. Procter, chief problem for 20th century

 More and more products were produced ready

to dispense, pharmaceutical industry became
stronger
Pharmacy History -Twentieth century
pharmacy: a business or a profession (cont.)
◦ After world war II, the military had an urgent
need for penicillin, which had lain dormant in
Fleming's laboratory for 10 years. The
technology, scientific knowledge and need were
present all at once
◦ The art of compounding rapidly became less
important
◦ The knowledge about the drugs, their
mechanisms of actions, and their side effects
became much more complicated
Evolution of the Pharmacist’s Role
During the twentieth century, the
pharmacy profession has evolved through
four stages.

 Traditional Era
 Scientific Era
 Clinical Era
 Pharmaceutical-care Era
Traditional Era
 Early twentieth century
 Formulation and dispensing of drugs from
natural sources
◦ Pharmacognosy
 The study of the medicinal properties of natural
products of animal, plant, and mineral origins
◦ Galenical pharmacy
 Techniques for preparing
medications
Scientific Era
 Began after World War II
 Emergence of the pharmaceutical industry
◦ Drugs made in factories, not apothecary shop
 Pharmacy education emphasized sciences
◦ Pharmacology
 The scientific study of drugs and their mechanism
of action including side effects
◦ Pharmaceutics
 Release characteristics of drug dose forms
Clinical Era
 1975: Millis Report, Pharmacists for the Future
 New educational emphasis on clinical (patient-
oriented) pharmacy
◦ Pharmacokinetics
 the activity of a drug within the body over a period of
time; includes absorption, distribution, metabolism,
and elimination
◦ Pathophysiology
 the study of disease and illnesses affecting the normal
function of the body
Pharmaceutical-Care Era
 1990: Hepler and Strand defined
 Pharmaceutical care
◦ a philosophy that expanded the pharmacist’s
role to include appropriate medication use to
achieve positive outcomes with prescribed
drug therapy
◦ includes
 Monitoring response to therapy
 Educating patients and dispensing prescriptions

Visit the American Pharmacists Association (APhA)

Role of the Pharmacist
Today’s pharmacist:
 (Compounds) and dispenses drugs
 Gathers information about patients
 Counsels on possible side effects and adverse
reactions
 Monitors for drug interactions
 Screens, monitors, and advises for self-treatment
with over-the-counter (OTC) products sold
without a prescription
 Provides drug information to other healthcare
professionals
 Advises on home healthcare supplies and medical
equipment
Community Pharmacist
 Dispenses drugs for existing disease
 Involved in patient care initiatives to prevent or
identify disease
◦ Administration of immunizations
◦ screening for and educating about hypertension,
diabetes, and other conditions
◦ providing education about lifestyle choices and dietary
supplements
 Runs a business
◦ hires and supervises employees
◦ deals with insurance companies
◦ maintains inventory
Hospital Pharmacist
 Dispenses oral medications
 Prepares and dispenses parenteral medications
 Sometimes specializes, with advanced training in
an area of patient care
 Educates and counsels patients
 Provides drug information
 Administers a department
◦ develops policies and procedures
◦ purchases drugs and supplies
◦ monitors drug use in the hospital
Home Healthcare Pharmacist
 Prepares medications and IVs for home
delivery and use
◦ including IV nutrition and antibiotics
◦ cancer chemotherapy
◦ pain medications
 Educates patient or caregiver on appropriate
and safe medication use
 Monitors patient’s response to prescribed
therapies
Other Pharmacy Settings
 Health maintenance organization (HMO)
 Long-term care facilities
 Specialized practice
◦ psychiatry
◦ drug abuse
 Nursing homes
◦ geriatrics
Nuclear Pharmacy
 Nuclear pharmacist
◦ Procures, stores, compounds, dispenses, and provides
information about radioactive pharmaceuticals
used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes
Education and Licensing Requirements
 Education
 4 - 6 year program
 2 years pre Pharmacy
 calculus, chemistry, biology
 Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)
 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree
 basic science courses
 practice setting experience
 Residency in specialty area is optional
For a listing of accredited schools of pharmacy, visit the
Web site for the American Association of Colleges of
Pharmacy (AACP)
Education and Licensing Requirements
 Licensing
◦ required by all states
◦ overseen by board of pharmacy
◦ involves
 graduation from an accredited college of
pharmacy
 passing state board certification examination
 serving an internship
◦ continuing education for license renewal
 They Sold Drugs

Famous People Who Were Once Pharmacists

 The first professional pharmacies are said
to have been in Baghdad in the 13th
century. As a practice distinct from that of
medicine and healing, modern pharmacies
developed in the 18th century, and by the
20th century had expanded to include
general merchandise and even food
counters. Below we list several famous
people who at some point spent time
behind the pharmacist's counter.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
 Before he opened his printer's shop in
Philadelphia, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was
engaged to be a clerk for a mercantile store.
For a short time he sold a variety of items,
including herbs and medicines. Later, of
course, Ben became famous for his many
inventions and statesmanship, and for
dispensing healthful advice through his Poor
Richard's Almanac, including "An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure" and
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
 Dante Alighieri

Italy's great poet DANTE joined a Florentine apothecary guild in 1295 or 1296.
It's doubtful he ever had to mix compounds or sell toothpaste, however. Dante
probably joined the guild because in those days a guild membership was required
in order to participate in city politics.
Sir Isaac Newton
A good student from England's
Grantham Grammar School,
young ISAAC NEWTON served as
an apprentice in an apothecary shop
in Woolsthorpe. He lived at the shop
and for a short time was even
engaged to the shop owner's
daughter. The job and the romance
ended when Newton went off to
Cambridge University and started his
brilliant career in mathematics and
physics. We can only wonder what
kind of a druggist he would have
been.
O. Henry
American short story writer O.
HENRY (the pseudonym of
William Sydney Porter),
considered one of the finest in
the game and very popular in
his day, had an unusual career
path. Before he became a writer
in New York, Porter had had
several odd jobs in Texas and
had spent three years in prison
for embezzlement. And
before that he worked for his
uncle as a licensed pharmacist in
Greensboro, North Carolina.
Henrik Ibsen
The great Norwegian
playwright HENRIK
IBSEN joins the ranks of
those who spent their teen
years surrounded by drugs.
In 1844, at the age of 16, he
became an apprentice in the
coastal town of Grimstad
pharmacy. After his
apprenticeship Ibsen worked
as an assistant pharmacist,
leaving in 1850 to study in
Christiana (now Oslo).
Hubert Humphrey
Minnesota Democrat HUBERT H.
HUMPHREY served as the Mayor of
Minneapolis, a U. S. senator and the vice
president of the United States under
President Lyndon B. Johnson, a pillar of the
party for his stand on civil rights and social
reform. His long political career came
after Humphrey had a brief career as a
pharmacist in his dad's drugstore. Forever
a friend to pharmacists,Vice President
Humphrey was named Pharmacist of the
Year by the St. Louis College of Pharmacy
in 1966 (Humphrey himself attended a
college of pharmacy in Denver). Since
1978 the American Pharmaceutical
Association has given the annual Hubert
H. Humphrey Award to pharmacists who
are also known for their public service.
Benedict ArnoldOne of the most infamous figures in
United States history, a smart military
tactician who fought for the colonists
before he switched sides and fought
for the British. Before the
Revolutionary War, Arnold was the
owner of his own apothecary shop in
New Haven, Connecticut. As a
teenager he learned the trade as an
apprentice in a shop owned by his
relatives Daniel and Joshua Lathrop --
when he wasn't running off to fight
wars, that is. As a young man he toured
Europe, then returned to Connecticut
and opened his own shop, with his
sister Hannah as his assistant. Once
the Revolutionary War started, he
apparently abandoned his apothecary
business so he could go down in
history as a traitor.
Pharmacy Trivia

 Who invented the Coca-Cola?

 John Stith Pemberton (July 8, 1831 –
August 16, 1888) was a Confederate
veteran and an American pharmacist, and
is best known for being the inventor of
Coca-Cola.
Facts. . .
 born to James Clifford Pemberton and
Martha L. Gant, both of English descent
 In April 1865, Pemberton was wounded in
the Battle of Columbus, Georgia, and like
many wounded veterans, he became
addicted to morphine
 Searched for a cure for his addiction,
experimented with coca and coca wines and
concocted his own version of Vin Mariani,
containing kola nut and damiana which he
called Pemberton’s French Wine Coca
Facts. . .
 His decoction was considered a medicinal
concoction was advertised as being
particularly beneficial for “ladies, and all
those whose sedentary employment
causes nervous prostration, irregularities
of the stomach, bowels and kidneys, who
require a nerve tonic and a pure,
delightful diffusible stimulant.”
Fact. . .
 1886 he was forced to produce a non-
alcoholic alternative to his French Wine
Coca by trial and error. With assistance
from Willis Venable, a druggist, he blended
the base syrup with carbonated water by
accident. He decided to sell it as a fountain
drink rather than a medicine and Frank
Mason Robinson came up with the name
Coca-Cola, which refers to two main
ingredients(cocaine and the kola nuts).
 Pemberton made many health claims on
his product and marketed it as “delicious,
refreshing, exhilarating, invigorating” and
said it was a “valuable brain tonic” that
would cure headaches, relieve exhaustion
and calm nerves.
 The business was bought by Asa Candler
in 1887 and in 1894 was sold in bottles
for the first time.
Evaluation Questions (see Mod. 1);
write in Journal Notebook
1. What medicines were used in Ancient
Greece?
2. Who was Asclepius?
3. Who were the daughters of Asclepius
and how are they related to the practice
of Pharmacy?
4. Why were the Greeks against cutting up
dead bodies?
5. Name some practices of Ancient Egypt
which helped what medicine is today.
More questions. . .
6. Is it true that man’s desire for health
stimulates research? Explain.
7. To what extent was magic a part of the
medical practice of the ancient?
8. Explain the demoniac idea of disease.
9. Were the Arabs good custodians of
ancient learning? Were they inventive?
Were they literate? Explain.