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History of Pharmacy Timeline
(c. 3000 BCE - Present)The history of pharmacy spans thousands of years, beginning with ancient civilizations that used plants and minerals for healing. It evolved through the Middle Ages with apothecaries and monastic medicine, advanced during the Renaissance and Industrial Revolution with the isolation of active compounds, and transformed in the 20th century with synthetic drugs, antibiotics, and modern pharmaceutical regulation. More Less
Ancient World
Ebers Papyrus compiled
1550 BC
The Ebers Papyrus of 1550 BC is one of the most important ancient Egyptian medical papyri, recording extensive pharmacological knowledge including remedies, recipes, and treatments for a wide range of ailments.
Image source: Ebers Papyrus
Edwin Smith Papyrus records pharmacological knowledge
1500 BC
Ancient Egyptian pharmacological knowledge was recorded in various papyri, including the Edwin Smith Papyrus of the 16th century BC. These documents preserved early medical and pharmaceutical practices, forming some of the oldest known written records of medicinal knowledge in human history.
Image source: Edwin Smith Papyrus
Diocles of Carystus leads the rhizotomoi
400 BC
Probably the most important representative of the rhizotomoi, the ancient Greek root-gatherers who collected medicinal plants, was Diocles of Carystus in the 4th century BC. He helped lay foundations for the systematic study of medicinal herbs in the Greek world.
Shennong Ben Cao Jing written in China
100
The earliest known Chinese manual on materia medica is the Shennong Ben Cao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Herb-Root Classic), dating back to the first century AD. It catalogued hundreds of medicinal substances and became a foundational text of Chinese pharmacy.
Earliest Indian compilation of medicinal substances
300
The earliest known compilation of medicinal substances in Indian traditional medicine dates to the third or fourth century AD, attributed to Sushruta, who is recorded as a physician of the sixth century BC. This work preserved Ayurvedic pharmaceutical knowledge for later generations.
Image source: Sushruta Samhita
Japanese imperial court establishes ranked pharmacy positions
800 - 1868
Ranked positions in the pre-Heian Imperial court were established, creating an organizational structure for court pharmacy that remained largely intact until the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
Image source: Meiji Restoration
State regulation of pharmacies by the ninth century
850
By the ninth century, these pharmacies were state-regulated, marking an early example of governmental oversight of pharmaceutical practice and standards.
Image source: History of pharmacy
Medieval Europe
Fall of Western Roman Empire disrupts European medicine
476
After the fifth century fall of the Western Roman Empire, medicinal knowledge in Europe suffered due to the loss of Greek medicinal texts and a strict adherence to tradition. However, an area of Southern Italy near Salerno remained under Byzantine control and developed a hospital and medical school that became famous by the 11th century.
Image source: Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Constantinos Africanus translates Arabic medical texts
1010
In the early 11th century, Salerno scholar Constantinos Africanus translated many Arabic books into Latin, driving a shift from Hippocratic medicine towards a pharmaceutical-driven approach advocated by Galen.
Image source: Constantine the African
Pharmacy-like shops appear in Europe
1100 - 1199
In Europe pharmacy-like shops began to appear during the 12th century, marking the emergence of dedicated commercial establishments for the preparation and sale of medicines.
Image source: Apothecary
Key Facts
- Ancient Egyptian medical texts such as the Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BCE) contain some of the earliest recorded pharmaceutical knowledge, listing hundreds of remedies.
- In 1240 CE, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II issued laws separating the professions of physician and apothecary, establishing pharmacy as a distinct profession in Europe.
- Friedrich Sertürner isolated morphine from opium in 1804, marking the beginning of modern pharmacology and the isolation of pure active drug compounds.
- The discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928 revolutionized medicine and launched the antibiotic era of pharmaceutical development.
- The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the creation of the FDA in the United States established modern drug regulation, safety standards, and quality control.
Source
This History of Pharmacy timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.
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