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Origin of Prescriptions

So we know that the Rx symbol used in prescriptions originated in the ancient world, but how and when exactly did the process of writing prescriptions start? The concept of a doctor writing a prescription followed by a pharmacist filling it is a modern concept. In ancient times, the doctor would provide the medicine to the patient, and before doctors, it was the priests who made up concoctions by mixing different ingredients. But slowly the act of compounding medicines became a specialty, and the doctor's job was restricted to prescribing it and sending the patient to a compounder or pharmacist to get it made.

Although the exact origin of this practice is murky, the practice of preparation and dispensation of drugs certainly existed for thousands of years, dating all the way back to the oldest of civilizations: the Sumerian and Egyptian civilizations. The world’s first recorded prescription is thought to be a clay tablet in Mesopotamia dated ~2500 BCE which lists 15 prescriptions. Ancient Babylonian doctors would have prepared the prescription by grinding up the ingredients and reciting an incantation- therapeutics back then consisted of two components in equal measure- medical (Asu) and magical (Asipu)!

Sumerian prescription tablet

Ancient Egyptian papyri also detail prescribed medicines for different ailments. The famous Ebers Papyrus from 1550 BCE lists 811 prescriptions for various ailments ranging from crocodile bites to cancer. Between 1000-500 BCE, the Indian Ayurvedic foundational text, the Sushruta Samhita, was written describing 1120 illnesses along with 700 medicinal plants as cures with their benefits, efficacy, dosage and safety.

Sushruta Samhita

It seems that it was during the Classical period that the concept of writing prescriptions for pharmacists began to take hold; the doctor would provide a recipere or a recipe, and a specialty compounder would then prepare it for the patient, giving rise to the modern concept of a pharmacy.


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