A Glimpse At The History Of The Pharmacist Profession

{Photo: The Sibiu Pharmacy Museum in Sibiu, in the Transylvania region of Romania, is housed in a 1569 Gothic townhouse where the oldest pharmacy in Romania operated for over 150 years. The pharmacy was known as La Ursul Negru (The Black Bear), and likely looked nothing like this. While the museum has a vast collection of chemistry instruments ranging from the 15th century to the 19th, this beautiful pharmacy reconstruction dates from the 18th century.}

While not quite specific to the realm of oncology pharmacy I thought pharmacists from all fields would enjoy a look back at the roots of our profession. I stumbled upon this intriguing piece on pharmacist history whilst searching for something in WIkipedia. The last statment below is very interesting and amusing indeed.

In Japan, at the end of the Asuka period (538-710) and
the early Nara period (710-794), the
men who fulfilled roles similar to those of modern pharamacists were highly
respected. The place of pharmacists in society was expressly defined in the Taihō Code (701) and re-stated in the Yōrō Code (718). Ranked
positions in the pre-Heian Imperial court were
established; and this organizational structure remained largely intact until the Meiji Restoration
(1868). In this highly stable hierarchy, the pharmacists -- and even pharmacist
assistants -- were assigned status superior to all others in health-related
fields such as physicians and acupuncturists. In the Imperial household, the pharmacist was even ranked above the two personal physicians of the Emperor.

Of course, as Bob Dylan sang: "The Times They Are A-Changing."