The word "pharmacopoeia" has come to have many meanings, although it is commonly understood to be a book describing approved compositions and standards for drugs. In 1813 the Royal College of Physicians of London considered a proposal to develop an imperial British pharmacopoeia - at a time when separate official pharmacopoeias existed for England, Scotland, and Ireland. A unified British pharmacopoeia was published in 1864, and by 1914 it was considered suitable for the whole Empire.
Pharmacopoeias, Drug Regulation, and Empires traces the 350-year development of officially sanctioned pharmacopoeias across the British Empire, first from local to national pharmacopoeias, and later to a standardized pharmacopoeia that would apply throughout Britain's imperial world. The evolution of British pharmacopoeias and the professionalization of medicine saw developments including a transition from Galenic principles to germ theory, and a shift from plant-based to chemical medicines. While other colonial powers in Europe usually imposed metropolitan pharmacopoeias across their colonies, Britain consulted with practitioners throughout its Empire. As the scope of the pharmacopoeia widened, the process of agreeing upon drug standardization became more complex and fraught. A wide range of issues was exposed, from bioprospecting and the inclusion of indigenous medicines in pharmacopoeias, to adulteration and demands for the substitution of pharmacopoeial drugs with locally available ones.
Pharmacopoeias, Drug Regulation, and Empires uses the evolution of an imperial pharmacopoeia in Britain as a vehicle for exploring the hegemonic power of European colonial powers in the medical field, and the meaning of pharmacopoeia more broadly.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"An essential read for those working in various fields related to the academic study of pharmacology. Highly recommended." Choice "No-one knows this history better than Anderson, who is undoubtedly the world expert on pharmacopeia. This is research scholarship at the very top of its game: incredibly disciplined, detailed and knowledgeable, weaving thousands of bits of evidence into a masterly coherent, concentrated, narrative." Pharmaceutical Historian "A stimulating read. Of interest to pharmacy and medical historians, but also to those working in the widest fields of medicinal history at imperial, global and national levels, and from a range of disciplines. Its rallying cry to 'problematize' the term 'pharmacopoeia' should inspire readers to re-consider their own perspectives." British Society for the History of Medicine "Anderson not only produces a detailed history of the BP and its changing role in imperial Britain but also demonstrates the complexity of regulating and implementing official pharmacopoeias. This book will appeal to readers in the history of medicine, colonial history, print history, and the history of knowledge." Canadian Journal of Health History "This book provides a solid foundation for research on pharmacy in empires, an area of imperial medicine and health with significant potential for further exploration, enhancing the importance of Stuart Anderson's work." Medical History "Anderson's book presents a thorough study of the relationship between official pharmacopoeias and drug regulation in the British Imperial world. [Pharmacopoeias, Drug Regulation, and Empires] is a very well-researched book that would make an excellent resource for business historians interested in the drug trade." Canadian Business History Association
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978-0-2280-2159-9 (9780228021599)
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Schweitzer Klassifikation
Stuart Anderson is emeritus professor of pharmacy history at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
