Pharmacy as a profession separate from medicine was recognized in the ninth century in the Muslim world. Baghdad saw a rapid expansion of privately owned pharmacy shops, a trend that spread to other Muslim cities.
The traditional style of pharmacy was modelled after the pharmacies of the Arab World. The style of modern pharmacy has not changed much from then.
Pharmacists who managed these shops were skilled in apothecary and knowledgeable in the compounding and preserving of drugs. State-sponsored hospitals had their own dispensaries attached to manufacturing labs where syrups, ointments and other pharmaceutical preparations were made. A state official, al-Muhtasib, and his aides periodically inspected the pharmacists, ensuring hygienic standards and high quality.
The development of professional pharmacy in Islam occurred four centuries before Europe. Muslim scholars learnt, mastered and expanded the science of pharmacy.
Scholarly works on medicines, diet and curing diseases sprang up. In his work, Ibn Masawayh recommended the use of medicinal plants to build up natural resistance to diseases.
Wisdom and mastery in worldly sciences are the domain of Muslims when they make Islam no.1 priority.
Pharmacies
