Apothecary was the early name applied to individuals who prepared and sold substances for medical use. The forerunner of today's pharmacist, the apothecary procured, mixed, and evaluated medications. The role of the apothecary-pharmacist has undergone many changes over the centuries. Once associated with the supernatural and alchemy, the apothecary became a leading health care practitioner whose field of expertise was based on science and who often treated patients directly. Eventually, the traditional apothecary was replaced by pharmacists, as we know them from the local drug store. Today, the pharmacist is primarily a dispenser of drugs already formulated and manufactured by pharmaceutical companies.

The art of the apothecary, that is mixing compounds according to the specific health needs of a patient, goes back to at least to 2200 to 3000 B.C. in ancient China, where the medicinal values of herbs were sought out and investigated. During the latter part of...