What is another name for apothecary?
Apothecary (/əˈpɒθəkəri/) 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. No, a herbalist and an apothecary are two different professions. A herbalist is a person who practices the use of plants and plant extracts for medicinal purposes. An apothecary is a person who prepares, dispenses, and sells medicines and drugs.
Why is it called apothecary?
The word ‘apothecary’ is derived from apotheca, meaning a place where wine, spices and herbs were stored. During the thirteenth century it came into use in this country to describe a person who kept a stock of these commodities, which he sold from his shop or street stall. Well established as a profession by the seventeenth century, the apothecaries were chemists, mixing and selling their own medicines. They sold drugs from a fixed shopfront, catering to other medical practitioners, such as surgeons, but also to lay customers walking in from the street.