Pharmacy has become an integral part of our lives. Nearly half of all 300 million Americans take at least one prescription drug daily, accounting for $250 billion per year in sales in the US alone. And this number doesn't even include the over-the-counter medications or health aids that are taken. How did this practice become such an essential part of our lives and our health? A Brief History of Pharmacy: Humanity's Search for Wellness aims to answer that question. As this short overview of the practice shows, the search for well-being through the ingestion or application of natural products and artificially derived compounds is as old as humanity itself. From the Mesopotamians to the corner drug store, Bob Zebroski describes how treatments were sought, highlights some of the main victories of each time period, and shows how we came to be people who rely on drugs to feel better, to live longer, and look younger. This accessible survey of pharmaceutical history is essential reading for all students of pharmacy.

Originally published in 1995, The History of Pharmacy is a critical bibliography of selected information on the history of pharmacy. The book is designed to guide students and academics through the history of science and technology. Topics range from medicine, chemical technology and the economics and business of pharmacy to pharmacy’s influence in the arts. The bibliography includes an exhaustive selection of primary and secondary sources and is arranged chronologically. This book will be of interest to those researching in the area of the history of science and technology and will appeal to students and academic researchers alike.

What really sets humankind apart from other species is our fondness of drugs. This vale of tears, full of plants and animals to tame, was the breeding ground for cultures and civilizations with a penchant for developing the noble art of pharmacy. The Neolithic revolution marked the coming into being and development of great states and empires, with the consequential increase in headaches. But that was no big deal, since shamans, witch doctors, physicians, priests, apothecaries, and/or sorcerers sought, and sometimes found, remedies to relieve migraines and a wide range of ailments. After a taste of this Epic History of Pharmacy you'll doubtlessly feel better. You are holding a fully legal dose for a relaxing but at the same time frenzied trip: from the wild prehistoric Garden of Eden to the marmoreal and massive Rome, passing through Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, America, Persia and Greece. And all of it visually administered, in the form of a carefully formulated ointment of literary panacea seasoned with humor-coated pills of compressed cartoons.

An acknowledged expert on the history of modern pharmacology and drug therapy, John Parascandola here brings together 19 of his most important papers on these subjects. The book is divided into three topical sections. In the first group of articles, devoted to pharmacological theory, Dr. Parascandola sheds new light on our understanding of the history of such key pharmacological concepts as receptor theory, structure-activity relationships, and the role of stereochemistry in physiological action. The second section focuses on the discipline of pharmacology and offers insights into the pivotal role played by John J. Abel in the shaping of the field, the development of pharmacology in schools of pharmacy and in the Federal Government, and the national pharmacological society's membership ban on pharmacologists working in industry. The final section on drug therapy discusses various drugs from antibiotics to sulfones, and their use in the treatment of diseases such as leprosy and syphilis.

The Handbook of Institutional Pharmacy Practice, 4th Edition is a comprehensive resource that provides both practical and theoretical information on today's pharmacy practices, policies, and teachings.