The concept of the apothecary has existed for centuries. Derived from the Latin term apotheca, meaning a place where herbs and spices were stored. The role of the apothecary has always been connected to their familiarity with plants and herbs and their ability to administer them as remedies. In ancient Greece this was very similar to what we would consider folk medicine today, such as using mint for gastrointestinal issues. By the sixteenth century apothecaries had become the equivalent of our modern day pharmacists, distributing medicines to ailing clients and eventually doing all but prescribing the medications themselves. By the seventeenth and eighteenth century apothecaries would take huge steps toward gaining independence in their trade.
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The intricacies of patronage and the antiquated focus on bloodlines and old money are exactly what made this system work (Lawrence 1994, 10), despite the lack of equality or even rationale. Though the influence of the aristocracy had faded considerably, society in England was so deeply entrenched in this classist way of thinking that it would be many years before the middle and lower classes would be able to gain any influence. The medical community in England was a perfect example of a three tiered hierarchy. Physicians were at the top; these were the men (women would not be well represented in medicine until the mid-nineteenth century) who were wealthy enough to attend a prestigious university and later become members of the Royal College of Physicians in London. Surgeons were the next tier of the hierarchy; surgery at this time was considered a trade, and one would train through an apprenticeship rather than at a university. Roy Porter states, “Surgery was not a mental, but a manual craft, utilising hand not head” (Porter 7, 1985). Physicians claimed that practicing medicine was an intellectual endeavour, for “only the physic was fit for a gentleman,” and so they looked down on surgeons and their unsophisticated trade (Porter 7, 1985). Apothecaries were the …show more content…
The physician prescribed while the apothecary administered the prescription (Porter 1995, 12). The apothecaries felt as though they had more knowledge about the drugs and how to prescribe them, and so there was a constant battle for the right to prescribe the drugs themselves. This would be in the client’s best interest, as it would cut out the middleman and result in a less expensive fee (the physician 's fee was often a hefty one). “Physicians were the healers of the well to do” (Lawrence 1994, 10). The Rose Case of 1704 was a significant turning point, it provided apothecaries with legal confirmation of their status as medical practitioners and “virtually ended the physicians’ efforts to regulate other healers” (Bynum and Porter 1993, 1126). By providing apothecaries with the ability to prescribe medicine their role became very similar to that of physicians. Over a century later The Apothecaries Act of 1815 was introduced in order to provide better regulations among medical practice. The act specified that apothecaries must have the Licence of the Society of Apothecaries (LSA)(Porter, 1998, 316). From now on, in addition to their apprenticeships, apothecaries were required to attend lectures relevant to their practice including chemistry, botany, anatomy and materia medica. They were also required to complete a
The intricacies of patronage and the antiquated focus on bloodlines and old money are exactly what made this system work (Lawrence 1994, 10), despite the lack of equality or even rationale. Though the influence of the aristocracy had faded considerably, society in England was so deeply entrenched in this classist way of thinking that it would be many years before the middle and lower classes would be able to gain any influence. The medical community in England was a perfect example of a three tiered hierarchy. Physicians were at the top; these were the men (women would not be well represented in medicine until the mid-nineteenth century) who were wealthy enough to attend a prestigious university and later become members of the Royal College of Physicians in London. Surgeons were the next tier of the hierarchy; surgery at this time was considered a trade, and one would train through an apprenticeship rather than at a university. Roy Porter states, “Surgery was not a mental, but a manual craft, utilising hand not head” (Porter 7, 1985). Physicians claimed that practicing medicine was an intellectual endeavour, for “only the physic was fit for a gentleman,” and so they looked down on surgeons and their unsophisticated trade (Porter 7, 1985). Apothecaries were the …show more content…
The physician prescribed while the apothecary administered the prescription (Porter 1995, 12). The apothecaries felt as though they had more knowledge about the drugs and how to prescribe them, and so there was a constant battle for the right to prescribe the drugs themselves. This would be in the client’s best interest, as it would cut out the middleman and result in a less expensive fee (the physician 's fee was often a hefty one). “Physicians were the healers of the well to do” (Lawrence 1994, 10). The Rose Case of 1704 was a significant turning point, it provided apothecaries with legal confirmation of their status as medical practitioners and “virtually ended the physicians’ efforts to regulate other healers” (Bynum and Porter 1993, 1126). By providing apothecaries with the ability to prescribe medicine their role became very similar to that of physicians. Over a century later The Apothecaries Act of 1815 was introduced in order to provide better regulations among medical practice. The act specified that apothecaries must have the Licence of the Society of Apothecaries (LSA)(Porter, 1998, 316). From now on, in addition to their apprenticeships, apothecaries were required to attend lectures relevant to their practice including chemistry, botany, anatomy and materia medica. They were also required to complete a