Chapter 1: History of Pharmacy Science

Question 1

Give the origin of the word:

Pharmacy

Answer 1

Comes from ancient Greek word pharmakon, meaning “drug”

Question 2

The actual origin of pharmacy practice has been traced back to:

Answer 2

More than 7,000 years ago

Question 3

What does the “Rx” symbol stand for?

Answer 3

Commonly considered an abbreviation for the Latin word recipere or recipe, which means “Take, thou”

Question 4

List and state the meanings of:

Additional medical abbreviations that also use x:

Answer 4

• sx = signs and symptoms
• tx = treatment
• hx = history
• dx = diagnosis

Question 5

True or False:

Rx symbol is not really the standard letters “r” and “x”

If false, explain why

Answer 5

True. It is a symbol of an italic R with a leg that hangs down below the line with a line crossing it like an x

Question 6

According to the 1931 book Devils, Drugs, and Doctors:

Rx is not, as is frequently supposed, an abbreviation of a Latin word meaning recipe or compound but is an invocation to:

Answer 6

Jupiter, a prayer for his aid to make the treatment effective
In other words, the Rx symbol was derived from the ancient symbol for the Roman god Jupiter

Question 7

Define:

The Age of Antiquity

Answer 7

The time span of 5000 BCE (BC) up through 499 CE (AD)

Question 8

Where can the origin of pharmacy be traced back to?

Answer 8

To the crude and simple discoveries of ancient humans (cavemen)

Question 9

How did ancient humans learn from observing their environment?

Answer 9

• Watched as both birds and beasts applied cool water, leaves, dirt, or mud to themselves
• These materials became the first soothing remedies for humans as well
• By trial and error, humans learned which plant and mineral rememdies worked beste, and eventually they began to share this knowledge with others

Question 10

Define:

Pharmacy

Answer 10

The are and science of preparing and dispensing medication

Question 11

Define:

Apothecary

Answer 11

Latin term for pharmacist; also used as a general term to refer to the early practice of pharmacy

Question 12

Define:

Compounding

Answer 12

Producing, mixing, or preparing a drug by combining two or more ingredients

Question 13

In _______, which is referred to as the cradle of civilization, provides the earliest known record of __________ practice

Answer 13

Babylon
Apothecary

Question 14

Where was Babylon located? What was it referred to as?

Answer 14

Ancient Mesopotamia
The Cradle of Civilization

Question 15

In Ancient Mesopotamia:
Around ____ ___, healers were ______, __________, and _________ all in one

Answer 15

2600 BCE
Priest
Pharmacist
Physician

Question 16

In Ancient Mesopotamia:
How did archaeologists find evidence of pharmacology?

Answer 16

Clay tablets that record the symptoms of illness, as well as prescriptions and instructions for compounding, or preparing, remedies

Question 17

In Ancient Mesopotamia:
Clay tablets that record the symptoms of _______, as well as _____________ and ____________ for ___________, or _________, ________ were found by archaeologists

Answer 17

Illness
Prescriptions
Instructions
Compounding
Preparing
Remedies

Question 18

Who was Mithradates VI?

Answer 18

Mithradates VI, also known as Mithradates the Great, was king of Pontus and Armenia Mionr (modern-day Turkey) from 120 BCE to 63 BCE

Question 19

Tell the story of Mithradates VI

Answer 19

For seven years after the assassination of his father, Mithradates lived in the wilderness and developed an immunity to poisons by regularly consuming them in small, nonlethal doses.
In addition, he used his prisoners as subjects for testing poisons and antidotes

Question 20

What is Mithradates VI known for?

Answer 20

Based upon his experiences, studies, and writings, Mithradates developed a “universal antidote” for poisoning, known as Mithradates’ antidote
He is regarded as the father of toxicology

Question 21

Ancient China:
According to legend, in ____ ___,