What is Pharmacy?

Pharmacists are medication experts who use their detailed knowledge of medicines to help
patients get well. The methods they use vary from one practice setting to the next, but general
pharmacist responsibilities include:
Dispensing medications, assuring the safety and appropriateness of the prescribed
therapy
Monitoring patient health and progress to achieve the best medication results
Partnering with consumers and patients to provide education and advice on the use of
prescription and over-the-counter medications
Collaborating with physicians, nurses, and other members of the health care team to
provide expertise on drug decisions and improve patient outcomes
Providing knowledge about the composition of drugs based upon their chemical,
biological, and physical properties, as well as their manufacture and use
Safeguarding drug purity and strength

Pharmaceutical Symbols
1. The one snake on a staff symbol is called the serpent of Epidaurus on the staff of Aesculapius,
and can be seen in the bottom left quarter of the shield on the crest of the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society of Great Britain. Aesculapius was one of the Greek Gods of medicine, and is usually
depicted carrying a staff with a snake coiled around it. The snake was a symbol of wisdom,
immortality and healing in Middle and far Eastern cultures far older than that of ancient Greece,
although its association with Aesculapius has been attributed to snakes used at a temple
dedicated to him in Epidaurus in the north eastern Peloponnese. This symbol is often considered
particularly suitable for pharmacy.
2. The bowl with a snake coiled around it is called the bowl of Hygeia with the serpent of
Epidaurus, and is a variant on the above. Hygeia was Aesculapiuss daughter and a Greek
Goddess of health. Her symbol was a serpent drinking from a bowl. The vessel is usually
depicted with a long stem and a shallow, wide bowl as seen here. It also is considered suitable for
pharmacy. The bowl of Hygeia with serpent of Epidaurus shown here is the symbol for
Hungarian pharmacists.

3. The symbol of two snakes on a staff is called the Caduceus. The staff, depicted with wings, is
that of Mercury (Roman) or Hermes (Greek), messenger of the Gods and also God of commerce.
(The Greek root of the word Caduceus means heralds wand). The history and meaning of this
symbol is complicated. In the West it has been adopted as a symbol of medicine since the 19th
century, probably because of its similarity to the serpent of Epidaurus on the staff of Aesculapius.
It is generally considered less suitable for pharmacy than the one snake motif, but is more
popular for use as a general medical symbol. The Caduceus shown here is from the 1888
Chambers Encyclopaedia

History of pharmacy
The beginnings of pharmacy are ancient. When the first person expressed juice from a succulent
leaf to apply to a wound, this art was being practiced. In the Greek legend, Asclepius, the god of
the healing art, delegated to Hygieia the duty of compounding his remedies. She was
his apothecary or pharmacist. The physician-priests of Egypt were divided into two classes: those
who visited the sick and those who remained in the temple and prepared remedies for the
patients.
In ancient Greece and Rome and during the Middle Ages in Europe, the art of healing recognized
a separation between the duties of the physician and those of the herbalist, who supplied the
physician with the raw materials from which to make medicines. The Arabian influence in
Europe during the 8th century AD, however, brought about the practice of separate duties for the
pharmacist and physician. The trend toward specialization was later reinforced by a law enacted
by the city council of Bruges in 1683, forbidding physicians to prepare medications for their
patients. In America, Benjamin Franklin took a pivotal step in keeping the two professions
separate when he appointed an apothecary to the Pennsylvania Hospital.

The development of the pharmaceutical industry since World War II led to the discovery and use
of new and effective drug substances. It also changed the role of the pharmacist. The scope for
extemporaneous compounding of medicines was much diminished and with it the need for the
manipulative skills that were previously applied by the pharmacist to the preparation of bougies,
cachets, pills, plasters, and potions. The pharmacist continues, however, to fulfill the prescribers
intentions by providing advice and information; by formulating, storing, and providing correct
dosage forms; and by assuring the efficacy and quality of the dispensed or supplied medicinal
product.

Organizations
There are numerous national and international organizations of pharmacists. The Pharmaceutical
Society of Great Britain, established in 1841, is typical of pharmaceutical organizations. In the
United States the American Pharmaceutical Association, established in 1852, is a society that
embraces all pharmaceutical interests. Among the international societies is the Fdration
Internationale Pharmaceutique, founded in 1910 and supported by some 50 national societies, for
the advancement of the professional and scientific interests of pharmacy on a worldwide basis.
The Pan American Pharmaceutical and Biochemical Federation includes the pharmaceutical
societies in the various countries in the Western Hemisphere.There are also other international
societies in which history, teaching, and the military aspects of pharmacy are given special
emphasis.