Apothecary

Apothecary () is an archaic English term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica ('medicine') to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms pharmacist and, in British English, chemist have taken over this role. In some languages and regions, terms similar to "apothecary" have survived and denote modern pharmacies or pharmacists. Apothecaries' investigation of herbal and chemical ingredients was a precursor to the modern sciences of chemistry and pharmacology. In addition to dispensing herbs and medicine, apothecaries offered general medical advice and a range of services that are now performed by other specialist practitioners, such as surgeons and obstetricians. Apothecary shops sold ingredients and the medicines they prepared wholesale to other medical practitioners, as well as dispensing them to patients. In 17th-century England, they also controlled the trade in tobacco, which was imported as a medicine.