History of drugs with special reference to Indian contribution

The Knowledge of drugs is as old as man himself. The methods used by him to find remedies against different ailments rested to a great extent on Psychical effects and certain simple procedures like blood letting and cupping. However, attempts were also made to obtain efficient cure by drugs mainly by the vegetable and to some degree from animal and mineral kingdoms. Thus, on the basis of the historical evidences it can be said that, the history of drugs is spread over a long period and also the contribution made by the Indian physicians in this regard is not less than that of the physicians of other countries.

[The price of the drugs in Rome: economy and pharmacy from 1700 till 1870]

Since the Middle Ages pharmacists had played an important role as producers and retailers of drugs, many of them exotic and precious. Proof is the resignation of the church of San Lorenzo by Martin V to the guild of apothecaries. 100 years later, Pope Clemens VII introduced the principle of drug taxes. The first roman tax was published in 1558. Until Garibaldi overthrew the papal state in 1870, these principles had remained the same, only to be interrupted by the French occupation at the beginning of the 19th century. An analysis of the drug prices shows the general development of drug costs between 1700 and 1854, the prices and the drug trade in particular being especially dependent on strong political tendencies. The introduction of new drugs and the omission of old ones had a remarkable effect on the costs, a fact which is represented by a study about the development of the prices comparing different drug groups. A further comparison between the wages and the cost of living explains why mainly members of the higher social classes could afford to buy drugs in pharmacies. This economical study of taxes emphasizes the fact that drugs, in regard to their development in prices, can hardly be compared to other goods.