How did the separation of pharmacists’ and physicians’ duties develop in Europe?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

A lab technician wearing protective gloves and face shield lifts a rack of deep-frozen cells from a cryopreservation tank emitting vapor in a laboratory setting. — pharmaceutical industry A technician withdrawing deep-frozen cells for in vitro culture at a laboratory of a German pharmaceutical company.

The separation of duties between physicians and pharmacists in Europe evolved over several centuries, moving from an ancient model of shared roles to a specialized professional structure.

In ancient Greece, Rome, and during the European Middle Ages, the healing arts generally distinguished between the physician and the herbalist, the latter of whom provided the raw materials for medicine. A significant shift occurred in the 8th century CE, when Arabian influence introduced the practice of clearly separating the duties of the pharmacist and the physician.1

This trend toward professional specialization was later solidified through formal regulation. A pivotal development took place in 1683, when the city council of Bruges enacted a law that explicitly forbade physicians from preparing medications for their own patients, thereby mandating the separation of prescribing and compounding duties. This evolution eventually mirrored the broader professionalization of the pharmaceutical industry, leading to the distinct educational and licensing standards that define the two professions today.1