A CONCISE

HISTORICAL SKETCH

OF THE

PROGRESS OF PHARMACY

IN GREAT BRITAIN,

FROM THE TIME OF

ITS PARTIAL SEPARATION FROM THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE

UNTIL

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF

THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY.

INTENDED AS

AN INTRODUCTION

ΤΟ

THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL.

BY

JACOB BELL.

LONDON:

JOHN CHURCHILL,

PRINCES STREET, SOHO;

MACLACHLAN & STEWART, EDINBURGH ; & FANNIN & Co., DUBLIN.

HISTORICAL SKETCH

OF THE PROGRESS OF

PHARMACY IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Ar the period at which our history commences, Pharmacy was in the hands of the Physicians, who professed the healing art in all its branches, and prepared their medicines themselves, or superintended the preparation of them. The science of medicine was so little understood, and so imperfectly cultivated, that it was in general practised empirically, and was often confounded with sorcery and witchcraft. The Greek word, Þápμakew, signifies either to practise witchcraft or to use medicine, and this acceptation of the term was acted upon in our own country as late as the 16th century. There were, therefore, persons of various classes, both men and women, who professed to cure disease, some by incantations others, who considered that by their genius they were cut out and configurated for it ;" and others, again, who had obtained a kind of traditional education from recognised Physicians, and who therefore constituted the medical profession.

"

But no laws existed for the protection of the public from ignorant practitioners. Indeed, it was difficult to discriminate between the different degrees of ignorance which prevailed: so much so, that it was not uncommon for patients to be placed in public thoroughfares, in the hope that some of the persons who happened to pass might be able to recommend a remedy from the result of their own experience, when afflicted with similar symptoms. The first act of parliament relating to the medical profession was passed in the year 1511, and is entitled "An Acr for the appointing of PHYSICIANS and SURGEONS."

The preamble is worded thus:

"Forasmuch as the science and cunning of Physick and Surgery (to the perfect knowledge of which be requisite both great learning and ripe experience) is daily within this realm exercised by a great multitude of ignorant persons, of whom the greater part have no manner of insight in the same, nor in any other kind of learning; some also can read no letters on the

* 3 Henry VIII., c. 9.

PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS APPOINTED.

book, so far forth that common artificers, as smiths, weavers, and women, boldly and accustomably take upon them great cures, and things of great difficulty, in the which they partly use sorcery and witchcraft, partly apply such medicines unto the disease as be very noxious, and nothing meet therefore, to the high displeasure of God, great infamy to the faculty, and the grevious hurt, damage, and destruction of many of the King's liege people; most especially of them that cannot discern the uncunning from the cunning. Be it therefore (to the surety and comfort of all manner of people) by the authority of this present Parliament enacted, That no person within the city of London, nor within seven miles of the same, take upon him to exercise and occupy as a Physician or Surgeon, except he be first examined, approved, and admitted by the Bishop of London, or by the Dean of St. Paul's, for the time being, calling to him or them four Doctors of Physic, and for Surgery, other expert persons in that faculty and for the first examination such as they shall think convenient, and afterward alway four of them that have been so approved.

"That no person out of the said city and precinct of seven miles of the same, except he have been (as is aforesaid) approved in the same, take upon him to exercise and occupy as a Physician or Surgeon, in any diocess, within this realm, but if he be first examined and approved by the Bishop of the same diocess, or he being out of the diocess, by his vicar-general: either of them calling to them such expert persons in the said faculties, as their discretion shall think convenient*. * • *

By this act the faculty of medicine was vested in one body of practitioners, who practised Medicine, Surgery, and Pharmacy. The Physicians' assistants were styled Apothecaries, and they, gradually acquiring information respecting the properties of drugs, began to transact business on their own account.

In the year 1518, Thomas Linacre, the Physician of Henry the Eighth, proposed the establishment of a College of Physicians, which was accomplished on the 23d of September of that year. The powers of this body were extended in the year 1540: the Physicians were exonerated from the necessity of attendance on juries and parochial offices,† and were empowered to enter the houses of Apothecaries in London, "to search, view, and see the Apothecary-wares, drugs, and stuffs," and to destroy such as they found corrupt or unfit for use. In the same year the Barbers and Surgeons were united into one company, but the Surgeons were prohibited from shaving, and the Barbers were restricted from performing any surgical operations, except drawing teeth. The Physicians, however, were allowed to practise surgery.

The Surgeons having abused their privileges, an act was passed, in the year 1542, of which the following is the substance:

Whereas in the Parliament holden at Westminster, in the third year of the King's Most Gracious Reign, amongst other things, for the avoiding of sorceries, witchcrafts, and other inconveniences, it was enacted, That no person within the City of London, nor within seven miles of the same

Dr. Goodall's History of the College of Physicians.

+ The Surgeons had been exonerated from these dutics in the year 1513.

PROCEEDINGS AGAINST EMPIRICS.

5

should take upon him to exercise and occupy as Physician and Surgeon, except he be first examined, admitted, and approved by the Bishop of London, &c. **: Sithence the making of which said Act, the Company and Fellowship of Surgeons of London, minding onely their owne lucres, and nothing the profit or ease of the diseased or patient, have sued, troubled, and vexed divers honest persons, as well men as women, whom God hath endued with the knowledge of the nature, kind, and operation of certain herbs, roots, and waters, and the using and ministering of them, to such as have been pained with customable diseases, as women's breasts being sore, a pin and the web in the eye, uncomes of the hands, scaldings, burnings, sore mouths, the stone, stranguary, saucelin, and morphew, and such other like diseases. * * And yet the said persons have not taken anything for their pains or cunning. ** In consideration whereof, and for the ease, comfort, succour, help, relief, and health of the King's poor subjects, inhabitants of this his realm, now pained or diseased, or that hereafter shall be pained or diseased, Be it ordained, &c., that at all time from henceforth it shall be lawfull to every person being the King's subject, having knowledge and experience of the nature of herbs, roots, and waters, &c., to use and minister ** according to their cunning, experience, and knowledge the aforesaid statute ** or any other act notwithstanding."

*

This act is understood to apply to the practice of medicine without remuneration, and accordingly it was not uncommon for empirics to evade the law by pretending to practise gratuitously. This, however, was not always successful; and Dr. Goodall's History of the PROCEEDINGS against EMPIRICS (published in 1684) contains an account of numerous prosecutions, in which the law was put in force in a summary manner.

In the year 1552, Grig, a poulterer, in Surrey, "taken among the people for a prophet, in curing divers diseases by words and prayers, and saying he would take no money," was set on a scaffold in the town of Croydon, with a paper on his breast, declaring him to be an impostor. He was afterwards set on a pillory in Southwark.

In the reign of Queen Mary, a great number of empirical impostors were prosecuted and punished, not only in London but in other parts of the country; and during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, these prosecutions continued, the delinquents being fined various sums from £5 to £20, and in many cases being imprisoned. Some of these quacks were patronised by persons of rank, who wrote to the President of the College on their behalf. Sir Francis Walsingham, secretary of state, interceded on behalf of "Margaret Kennix, an outlandish ignorant sorry woman," but the College refused to remit the sentence (1581).

John Booffeat (1583) was liberated from prison on the intercesof a person of quality, upon condition that he would submit to any penalty the College might inflict, if he ever practised again. Paul Fairfax (1588) was prosecuted for cheating the people by puffing the pretended virtues of a water which he called Aqua Celestis. He was fined £5 and imprisoned. The Lord