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Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, [1] including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function. [ 2 ]
The word "pharmacognosy" is derived from two Greek words: φάρμακον, pharmakon , and γνῶσις gnosis or the Latin verb cognosco (con, 'with', and gnōscō, 'know'; itself a cognate of the Greek verb γι(γ)νώσκω, gi(g)nósko, meaning 'I know, perceive'), [3] meaning 'to conceptualize' or 'to recognize'.
The history of pharmacy as a modern and independent science dates back to the first third of the 19th century. Before then, pharmacy evolved from antiquity as part of medicine . Before the advent of pharmacists, there existed apothecaries that worked alongside priests and physicians in regard to patient care.
The word pharmacy is derived from Old French farmacie "substance, such as a food or in the form of a medicine which has a laxative effect" from Medieval Latin pharmacia from Greek pharmakeia (Ancient Greek: φαρμακεία) "a medicine", which itself derives from pharmakon (φάρμακον), meaning "drug, poison, spell" [44] [45] [a ...
Page from the 6th-century Vienna Dioscurides, an illuminated version of the 1st-century De Materia Medica. Materia medica (lit.: 'medical material/substance') is a Latin term from the history of pharmacy for the body of collected knowledge about the therapeutic properties of any substance used for healing (i.e., medications).
In forming or understanding a word root, one needs a basic comprehension of the terms and the source language.The study of the origin of words is called etymology.For example, if a word was to be formed to indicate a condition of kidneys, there are two primary roots – one from Greek (νεφρός nephr(os)) and one from Latin (ren(es)).
In pharmacology, a drug is a chemical substance, typically of known structure, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. [2] A pharmaceutical drug , also called a medication or medicine, is a chemical substance used to treat , cure, prevent , or diagnose a disease or to promote well-being . [ 3 ]
The history of pharmacy has lagged behind other fields in the history of science and medicine, perhaps because primary sources in the field are sparse. [5] Historical inquiries in this area have been few, and unlike the growing number of programs in the history of medicine, history of pharmacy programs remain few in number in the United States. [6]