HISTORY OF MODERN PHARMACY IN INDIA

History of Modern Pharmacy in India

GALEN-FATHER OF PHARMACY

Progress of Research

The Indian traditional systems of medicine have been Ayurveda,
Siddha and Unani. Ayurveda and
Siddha originated in India itself. Unani, the Greco-Arabic medical
system, came from West Asia. The
European colonizers brought the western system of medicine to
 the country. During the colonial period,the new system, commonly referred to as allopathy,
got firmly established. It held the sway and came to have controlling
 influence on health care. On the country attaining independence
 there was no going back.
Chronicling the medico-pharmaceutical developments
of the modern period is an attractive subject of study.
This investigator chose to explore the history of
modern pharmacy in India and related aspects of the
span covering the last several centuries, including
also the pharmaceutical progress in the independent
India. The research started in late 1980s. In the
initial years the support came from the University
Grants Commission, New Delhi, and subsequently
sponsorship continued from the Indian National
Science Academy, New Delhi.
Archival Collection
When the studies started, the investigator was very
clear in his mind as to the different aspects of the
pharmaceutical subject which would need to be
examined. He started searching for the necessary
source material from different centers within the
country and abroad. Gradually, a formidable archival
collection started taking shape. This was noted in
some western journals.1,2 At home, the investigator
was interviewed on the subject, with a particular
reference to the Collection.3 For collecting the material
from within the country the investigator has worked
at the National Library, Asiatic Society Library, Medical
College Library, School of Tropical Medicine Library,
and West Bengal Secretariat Library, at Kolkata;
NICDAP at the Central Drug Research Institute, at
Lucknow; CSIR Publications & Information Directorate
Library, National Medical Library, Central Secretariat
Library, and Parliament Library at New Delhi; and
Connemara Public Library at Chennai. Valuable material
has been uncovered through studies at the National
Archives of India, at New Delhi; Tamil Nadu Archives,
at Chennai; State Archives of West Bengal, at Kolkata;
and the Maharashtra Archives, at Mumbai. The
Pharmacy Council of India and the All India Council
for Technical Education have supplied a good deal of
material of interest. Abroad, he carried out
investigations at the British Library, British Medical
Association Library, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of
Great Britain Library, Royal College of Physicians
Library, Royal Geographic Society Library, Royal Society
Library, Wellcome Library for the History and
Understanding of Medicine, and University of London
School of Pharmacy Library at London; Harold Cohen
Library of the University of Liverpool; Philadelphia
College of Pharmacy and Science Library and College
of Physicians of Philadelphia Library at Philadelphia;
and Library of Science and Medicine, State University
of New Jersey (Rutgers) at Piscataway, NJ. From
several other libraries and archives a lot of material
has been obtained through correspondence.
The above has been really a crusade for collection of
source material. Thousands of documents and
publications which have accumulated have been
properly organized and bound. There are now available
over twelve hundred volumes. If there is available
source material on the history of modern pharmacy in
India, under one roof, it is with the investigator. The
further buildup continues and gaps are being filled.
The writing on the history of modern pharmacy in
India has continued during the last nearly two
Professor Emeritus, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University,
Chronicling the history 1135 Sector 43, Chandigarh 160 022
 of medico-pharmaceutical developments in India of the modern period is an attractive subject of study. The investigator  has
chosen to explore the history of modern pharmacy in the country. He has built a formidable archival collection.
Based on his research of the last nearly two decades, the investigator has produced four well documented and illustrated book
 monographs and forty of research articles. The areas of his historical
studies include pharmacopoeias and formularies, pharmaceutical education, pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical journalism,
 biographies of pharmaceutical luminaries, and pharmaceutical regulatory provisions.CRIPS Vol. 7 No. 3 July-September 2006 43

Review Article
decades, and there have been brought out four books
and forty papers. Brief descriptions are given next of
the work which has been carried out under the heads:
Pharmacopoeias and Formularies, Pharmaceutical
Education, Pharmacy Practice, Pharmaceutical
Journalism, Biographies of Pharmaceutical Luminaries,
and Pharmaceutical Regulatory Provisions.
Pharmacopoeias and Formularies
The work on pharmacopoeial topics started through
the UGC grant. First, study of history of the British
Pharmacopoeia was undertaken. There resulted
several articles chronicling the history.4-8
The historical development of the BP and changing
patterns of medicines and standards during the period
1864-1988 were surveyed and critically examined.
This study was taken in hand since the earlier
developments pertaining to the Pharmacopoeia of
India are linked to the history of the British
Pharmacopoeia which till 1955 was India’s major official
book of drug standards.
A study of history of the Pharmacopoeia of India
proved to be rewarding. The findings were interesting
and a lot of new material was brought to light through
many well-researched papers.9-18
The account for the first time projected the Indian
pharmacopoeial history of the sesquicentury. It was a
pleasant revelation for the medico-pharmaceutical
profession to know that the first Pharmacopoeia of
India appeared in 1868.
Next, the historical perspective of the National
Formulary of India was examined, a comparison made
with the British National Formulary, and future of the
NFI was commented upon.19
Following serialization of the above papers, more of
useful material was gathered. The investigator's
research reached a stage which enabled him to
present an organized monograph on Pharmacopoeias
and Formularies.20
The book was very well received and comments on it
were encouraging. It was mainly his research on
pharmacopoeias and formularies which brought the
investigator recognition by his election to the Academie
Internationale d'Histoire de la Pharmacie.
For reaching a larger number of readers, a chapter
and a consolidated review on the Indian
pharmacopoeial history were contributed.21,22
The investigator lectured on "Pharmacopoeias as
Witness to Colonial History of India" at the Chemical
Heritage Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, USA (1999).
Earlier he spoke on pharmacopoeial history before
the Chandigarh Chapter of the Indian National Science
Academy (1997) and on the subject delivered the
Panjab University Pharmaceutical Sciences Oration
(1998).
Pharmaceutical Education
The pharmacy profession, academia and the industry
desired establishment of a centre of pharmaceutical
excellence on the lines of the Indian Institute of
Technology. The issue was relentlessly followed for
nearly four decades. Ultimately a success was achieved
and the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education
and Research made a beginning under the aegis of
the Government of India. Six research articles summed
up the historical account.23-28 In retrospect the saga
of struggle for the Institute makes a fascinating
perusal.
When the research was started with funding from
the INSA, it was visualized that more than one topic
of the pharmaceutical developments might be dealt
with. However, it was soon realized that research on
pharmaceutical education alone would demand major
attention and time since there was a lot of material
to be collected, studied, collated and written about.
Ultimately, it became possible to make ready a twelve
chapter monograph.29 The book Pharmaceutical
Education portrays a composite picture of the evolution
and present status of the whole gamut of
pharmaceutical instructions and related aspects. The
treatise dilates upon the historical perspectives of
different items and issues pertaining to pharmaceutical
education. Profiles of older institutions are chronicled.
A careful research has gone into digging out the
appropriate evidences in support of the writings on
different facets. There are over 700 references and
39 illustrations. Three articles prepared on
pharmaceutical education related topics also proved
to be of interest.30-32
Pharmacy Practice
Next extensive research on pharmacy practice got to
receive full attention, and the studies reached a stage
that a book length monograph was published.33 Arising
out of the work on pharmacy practice, there were
published history papers on selected topics as the
Pharmaceutical Society of India, the oldest Indian
pharmaceutical organization;34 pharmacy ethics;35
chemists and druggists’ organizations;36 the overseas
drug trade of colonial India;37 rural pharmacy;38
European pharmacies in colonial India;39 apothecaries
and hospital assistants;40 and western medical system
in colonial India.41 CRIPS Vol. 7 No. 3 July-September 2006 44
Review Article
Pharmaceutical Journalism
It became possible to investigate history of completely
unknown journal, Indian Journal Pharmacy (1894-96)42
and the almost forgotten journals Indian and Eastern
Druggist (1920-37) and the Indian and Eastern Chemist
(1937-41).43 It is not only that existence of these
obsolete journals has been brought to light, but also
their contents have provided useful material for
investigator's research.
Biographies of Pharmaceutical Luminaries
This is a new INSA project, the work on which started
a couple of years back. The scope of the studies is
restricted to the life histories and contributions of the
selected pharmaceutical professionals who achieved
prominence during the colonial period and largely
continued to be active later in independent India.
Among the luminaries Mahadeva Lal Schroff (1902-
71) stands out for his pharmaceutical contributions. It
has been possible to complete research on him and
a monograph covering his personal and professional
biography has been recently published.44 In the
historical perspective Schroff emerges as the maker
of modern pharmacy in India. It may be mentioned
that earlier, the investigator was invited to deliver
Professor M. L. Schroff Centenary Oration at the Indian
Pharmaceutical Congress held at Pune in December
2002, the text of which was published.45
The work on other builders and awareness creators
of modern pharmacy is in progress.
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Provisions
Some exploratory work has been carried out on this
topic, which is to be the subject of intensive research
studies. Largely there remained no legal restrictions
during the colonial era regarding the drugs and
pharmacy. Looking to the pathetic situation as it
existed, the Government of India stood compelled to
appoint a special committee in 1930, to study the
issues and recommend measures for correcting the
prevailing conditions. Apart from other worthwhile
recommendations, the Committee recommended
enactment of central legislation to control drugs and
pharmacy. To work out the modalities of the research
which is envisaged, the investigator made a general
survey on the history of drugs and pharmacy
statutes,46-48 and also collected and studied the
material on the Drugs Enquiry Committee (1930-31).49
References
1. Pharmaceutical Historian (1995) 25(2): 1.
2. Chemical Heritage (1994-95) 12(2): 12-13.
3. Indian J Pharm Edu, (1999) 33(3): 134-135.
4. Singh H (1990) Pharma Times 22(11): 9-11.
5. Singh H (1990) Pharma Times 22(12): 11-13.
6. Singh H (1991) Pharma Times 23(1): 7, 9, 11.
7. Singh H (1991) Pharma Times 23(2): 17-21.
8. Singh H (1991) Pharma Times 23(3): 9-11.
9. Singh H (1991) Eastern Pharmacist 34(May): 43-45.
10. Singh H (1991) Eastern Pharmacist 34(June): 45-48.
11. Singh H (1991) Eastern Pharmacist 34(July): 51-53.
12. Singh H (1991) Eastern Pharmacist 34(August): 65-
67.
13. Singh H (1991) Eastern Pharmacist 34(September):
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14. Singh H (1991) Eastern Pharmacist 34(October): 45-
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15. Singh H (1991) Eastern Pharmacist 34(November),
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19. Singh H (1992) Eastern Pharmacist 35(March): 39-43.
20. Singh H (1994) Pharmacopoeias and Formularies,
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22. Singh H (2000) Pharmaceutical Historian 30(2): 26-29.
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28. Singh H (1994) Eastern Pharmacist, 37(July): 44-47.
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The Making of Modern Pharmacy, Vallabh Prakashan,
Delhi, xvi: 216.
45. Singh H (2002) Indian J Hosp Pharmacy, 39: 187-194.
46. Singh H (1999) Eastern Pharmacist 42(November):
31-37.
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49. Singh H (2001) Eastern Pharmacist 44(November):
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