HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY

THESE ARE THE IMPORTANT PARTS THAT WILL BE TESTED ON.

ANCIENT BELIEFS AND TREATMENTS

Severe illnesses were believed to be caused by evil spirits.

• Trephining was when a cut was made into the skull to

  give the disease a portal through which it could leave.

• Tribal Shamans were believed to be able to communicate

  with spirits.

MEDICAL STAFF

Asclepius - The Greek God of healing

• Symbol: A wingless staff with one snake wrapped

  around it; the formal symbol of medicine

Caduceus - Usually has two wings at the top,

also intertwined with two snakes

• Often mistakenly used as the symbol of medicine

MEDICINE IN ITS INFANCY

Plagues killed thousands of people.

• Microbes: Unknown

Prayers were the most common form of

treatment and remains so in many cultures.

HIPPOCRATES was a third-generation physician (460-357 BC).

He was responsible for advancements in medicine. His observations

included the effects of food and climate. He was the first physician

to record patients’ medical illnesses. He also promoted kindness to

the sick, rest, diet and eating light foods, and making lifestyle changes

to improve health.

He believed that life consisted of a balance of four elements

linked to qualities of good health:

• Wet, Hot, Dry, and Cold

Illnesses resulted from an imbalance in the body

system’s four humors, which also were linked to

the four basic elements:

• Blood - air

• Phlegm - water

• Yellow bile - fire

• Black bile - earth

Treatments he had made to rebalance the humors:

• Bloodletting

• Laxatives

Hippocratic Corpus - Collection of books that

document Hippocrates’ teachings.

Hippocratic Oath - Doctors act only for the good

of their patients and keep confidential what they

learn about them.

ARISTOTLE

Aristotle is a Greek philosopher and scientist. He is responsible

for many advances in biology and medicine. he studied and

classified many organisms. He also described human anatomy

from observations after dissecting animals.

ROGER BACON AND PARACELSUS

Roger Bacon was a philosopher and alchemist. He refined and

explained the importance of experimental methods.

Paracelsus was a Swiss physician and alchemist. He believed in

treating illnesses with one medication at a time. He produced

many nontoxic medications and introduced laudanum, a

popular tonic for deadening pain.

PREVALENT TREATMENTS

Garlic was used for inflammation of the bronchial tubes.

Liverwort plant was used for liver problems.

Wine and pepper were used for stomach ailments.

Onions was used for worms.

Tiger fat was used for joint pain.

St. John’s Wort is an herbal used to help treat

depression and can be purchased today.

Bloodletting was used to lessen excess bodily fluids;

that was thought to be a cause of illness.

• Involved leeches or venesection.

Treatments were by trial and error. Some were

effective, some ended in death.

EIGHTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURY MEDICINE

Religious leaders became very active in researching

medicinal remedies to treat the sick.

Gregor Mendel was a famous scientist and monk who

laid the foundation for genetics and how genes are woven

into heredity. He is known as the father of genetics.

NORTH AMERICAN MEDICINE

In early America, new immigrants brought diseases from other

parts of the world. Physicians/doctors were responsible for

diagnosing conditions and preparing remedies to cure patients.

The first druggists were doctors.

Early American Remedies:

• Cinchona bark (Quinine) was used to treat Malaria.

• Mercury was used to treat Syphillis. It was very

  toxic and caused deaths.

OPIUM AND ALCOHOL

Laudanum:

• Most popular tonic for medicinal use

• Given as a sedative for pain

• Caused addiction at an alarming rate

Absinthe:

• Alcohol based liquid; herb mixed with alcohol

  and served with water and sugar

• Treatment for tapeworms

Opium:

• By-product of the opium poppy

• Used to make Opioids, a potent drug

  with an analgesic effect

• Side effects include analgesia, reduced

  gastrointestinal motility, respiratory

  depression, and euphoria, among others

TWENTIETH CENTURY MEDICINE

Alexander Fleming - discovered penicillin by accident in 1928

Gerhard Domagk - discovered the first synthetic drug, sulfonamide,

in 1932; used to treat wound infections in WWII

Louis Pasteur - discovered an Anthrax vaccine for animals (1881)

Modern treatment for hemochromatosis can involve leeches

and maggots to remove blood and dead tissue.

• Approved by the FDA in 1976

• Very inexpensive

EARLY PHARMACISTS

Apothecaries sprang up after the Civil War. Manufacturing plants

were built and people were trained to give medications accurately.

Pharmacists moved into the role of druggists.

The first pharmacy school was the Philadelphia

College of Pharmacy and Sciences (1821).

Medical recipe books are still lightly used and preserved today.

From 1800 to 1900, early pharmacists played a minimal role

in health care. The pharmacy setting promoted trust in the pharmacist.

EARLY PHARMACY TECHNICIANS

The first pharmacy technicians were enlisted in the military.

They were trained to fill out prescriptions and do the job of

the pharmacist. Early pharmacy clerks became pharmacy

technicians afterward. Professional pharmacy organization

began to be more involved in pharmacy technician training.

A national exam (PTCB) was created in 1995.

After the establishment of PTCB, educational standards

were instituted, salaries were raised, and pharmacists’

trust in technicians also increased. Technicians

are now high in demand.

CHANGING PHARMACY REQUIREMENTS

Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) is required for U.S.

pharmacists and passing the NABP exam & an exam

covering the pharmacist’s state pharmacy law.

Technician’s duties today consists of preparing prescriptions

and compound specialty medications.

You can also become a Hospital Inpatient Pharmacy Technician,

in which your duties consist of supplying store stock, preparing

parenteral medications, transcribing doctor’s orders, and

filling out patients’ cassettes.

Technicians need strong communication skills.

TECHNICIANS OF THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY AND BEYOND

Pharmacists are moving into a more highly clinical role,

not only by counseling, but also by working with medical

staff. Technicians are moving into transcribing orders,

pulling medications, and filling prescriptions.

The National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA)

offers specialized training in sterile products,

chemotherapy, and compounding.