Pharmacy was born in old times when human being started to search for remedies for treatment of the ailments. First pharmacies in Europe appeared in 1100 in monasteries. Monks prepared remedies and supplied them to all needy free of charge. At the same time first prescriptions were created and they were started with the words "Good luck". 100 years later first city pharmacies were opened in Venice. Specialists for those pharmacies were prepared in accordance to widely acceptable methods of those times: pupil - apprentice - master. This preparation chain took 10 - 15 years (depending on abilities of each person).
Until the end of 9 century there were no pharmacies in Europe (pharmacies as commercial entities) where customer could order proper remedy. So, people created their own "medicines" collecting and processing minerals and other ingredients. Since each of such a "specialists" created the "medicines" in accordance to their own understandings there were no possibility to find the same remedy from different "manufacturers".
The most progressive ones were monks due to the educational system they'd created in monasteries schools and laboratories. The earliest ever found Pharmacopoeia Articles for different medicines were created and collected by monasteries scientists. So, European pharmaceutical School's roots go to the pharmacists in monk's cassocks.
But Monk's schools (where "pharmacist" was therapist, surgeon, pharmacist and professor) were unable to reach scientific opportunities proposed by popular universities in Oxford, Salamanca, Prague, Heidelberg and other European cities. So, peak of prime of those Universities fell on 13 century.

In 15 century first appeared term "provisor" - from Latin - foreseeing, predicting, that explains importance of the role of the pharmacists in treatment process. Doctor establishes diagnosis and pharmacist foresees tendency of the disease and with the aid of proper medicines corrects and predetermines its course and further development. First proper Pharmacopoeia was launched in 1581 in Spain.
Many time went till pharmacy become a profession and creation of the special medical establishments were found necessary. Hundreds of private schools and "politechnicums" were opened throughout Europe that often were headed or owned by the pharmacists. First educational establishments with proper course for the pharmacists were opened in Montpelier (France), Padua, Barcelona in the middle of 16 century.
Most complete formularies about creation of the pharmacies and "pharmaceutical management" were produced at the end of 17 - beginning 19 centuries. At the same time association of the pharmacists were founded - "Societe libre des Pharmacients" in Paris, "Obercollegium Medicum et Sanitatis" in Berlin in 1796 and "The Royal Apothecary School" in London in 1842. Practices of giving education to the pharmacists within Universities were first introduced in France and England at the beginning of 19 century. First of all education was oriented on gaining knowledge and practical skills in manufacture and use of the medicines. But later educational courses started to include more theoretical subjects. It was involved with the fact that during following decade's pharmacies gradually lost manufacturing functions and was more concentrated on sales of the medicines and advises to the patients.

Practice of the medicines production in the Old Rus was based on own national traditions and knowledge taken from antique texts. First of all there were Greek texts brought to Rus from Visantia which was the centre of the trade and crafts in 9 - 11 centuries. One of the main trade ways was the way through the Kiev, Pskov, and Great Novgorod that was comparable to the way through China and India to Europe. Spread of the knowledge was enforced due to monks of the Orthodox Church from Afon (Greece).
In 10-13 centuries some medico-pharmaceutical traditions were well founded in Rus but culture and statehood were main elements of development of the Eastern-European civilization. During those times main handwritten libraries were collected. In line of the major cities of Europe were Kiev, and Great Novgorod.
Development of the medical and pharmaceutical knowledge started after establishment of good relations with Western Europe.
In 16 century first professional pharmacists arrived to Moscow. So, Pharmacies alike western " officina sanitatis" appeared in Russia in 16 century. First pharmacy was organized in accordance to western regulations. But main influence on Moscow pharmacies was made by Statute of Fredrick II Gogenshtaufen which was accepted in England for regulation of the pharmaceutical activity. So, Russian pharmacy of those days was completed with many products and mainly from England. Pharmacy in Russia was, in accordance to foreign sources, very well equipped and, and in fact constituted superb entity. Establishment of the pharmaceutical trade required proper management of the new kind of activity.
So start of the state medicine in Russia was at the end of 16 century. First enterprise that held responsibility for medical affairs was Apothecary's Order that was opened in Moscow in 1581. During 120 years of the Apothecary's Order activity it was leaded by major noble families - earl Vyazemsky, future king Boris Godunov, representatives of Cherkassky, Sheremetevsky, Miloslavsky and Odoevsky families. Apothecary's Order provided pharmaceutical education and taught not only the pharmacy but foreign languages (Latin and German) and paid for the education. Education was based on European standards. There is an interesting document remained in archives about foreign pharmacists that wanted to pass registration in Russia. So, such a pharmacist willing to practice in Russia of those days supposed to pass exam that consisted of 50 questions and took two days to complete.

First public pharmacy was opened within public hospital in 20 of March 1672 in Moscow. Since then such a pharmacies were opened in many major Russian cities: in Vologda, Kazan, Pskov, Astrakhan, Nezhin, Vil'no, Novgorod, Kiev, Penza, Kursk. Parts of them were military pharmacies. Pharmacists were responsible for the pharmaceutical stocks that were opened within the pharmacies.
In 1650 due to wide development plan in Russian Empire there were 226 cities with established pharmaceutical businesses there.

In 18 century there were major reforms provided by Tsar Peter I .One of those reform was Apothecary's Reform that fixed European normative and European type of the pharmaceutical service. In many cases measurers provided by Russian authorities were much more progressive then those of western European ones. For instance, trade of the pharmaceutical goods through shops was prohibited. Pharmacies were recognized special enterprises with high sanitary level and not simply shops.
First Russian Pharmacopoeia was written in the beginning of 18 century. In 1765 the first military pharmacopoeia was published (certainly, in accordance to tradition, on Latin). Russia become first countries where state Pharmacopoeia was implemented (1778)

In 17 century Russian system of the pharmaceutical education was alike European one. But since 1785 Pharmacists received a great opportunity to get European standard education in newly established Moscow University. Next principal step in reform of the apothecary's activity was made in 1857 when a medical statute was implemented. It was consist of three books and according to it:

• Only pharmacist could manage the pharmacy:
  
• And each Pharmacy must have:
  Prescription room, Material room (for storage of the materials),
  Laboratory, Dry basement, Ice-room (refrigerator),
  Drying-room (for storage of the herbal products).
  
• Pharmacy must have special books for supply of the medicines according to prescriptions and without, poisons, herbs.

In 1890 there were 1952 pharmacies, 741 rural pharmacies, 69 pharmaceutical departments, 11 homeopathic pharmacies in Russia. Growing number of the pharmacies required creation of the professional pharmaceutical society. So, in 1819 pharmaceutical Society was created in St. Petersburg. In1864 Pharmaceutical Society issued first "Pharmaceutical Journal".
There were several centers of the pharmaceutical education in Russian Empire: Moscow and St Petersburg (1819), Tartu, Estonia (1802), Kharkov (1804), Helsinki, Finland (1827), Kiev (1833), Odessa (1864), Warsaw (Poland 1869)
In 1845 educational level of the Magister of the Pharmacy was established
And at the beginning of 20 century Russia was able to cover necessity in highly educated specialists in pharmacy.

After October Revolution in 1917 many changes affected our country. But this is another theme for another article about Pharmacy in Soviet Times.

To be continued.

National Museum of Medicine (Kiev) picture