LET'S LEARN SOME PHARMACY HISTORY


  • The term druggist refers to pharmacist 
  • There were soda fountains in almost every pharmacy for people to socialize
  • Many fountain drinks made by early druggists contained cocaine & caffeine used to cure headaches in the 1850's.
  • Every drug was over the counter, no soda fountain broke the law towards selling cocaine derived drinks but in 1914 OTC products that contained cocaine & opiates were banned by a law called the "Harrison Narcotic Act".
  • Dr. Frederick Banting discovered Insulin in 1920
  • Scientist Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin in 1928
  • David W. Young discovered Tylenol, introduced in 1955
  • Chemist Maurice Treneer discovered Alka Seltzer
***On September 29, 1982, a Tylenol scare began when the first of seven individuals died in Chicago, Illinois, after ingesting Extra Strength Tylenol that contained cyanide. While the crime was never solved and Tylenol sales temporarily collapsed, the brand was rebuilt and recovered in only a few years. The scare led to the introduction of tamper-proof packaging for medicines.

*** "The Great Pandemic" from 1918 - 1919 , this influenza epidemic was a global catastrophe ( Spanish Flu ) which is believed to have caused the death of over 40 million people worldwide. This virus came from birds directly infecting humans. World War I transported soldiers that spread disease port to port, and from there it started to spread worldwide.