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Indian Pharmacy: A Brief History.

Indian Pharmacy: A Brief History.

  • In ancient India the sources of drugs were of vegetable, animal and mineral origin.
  • Mostly Ayurveda system of medicine used to dominate the area.
  • They were prepared empirically by few experienced persons.
  • Knowledge of that medical system was usually kept secret within a family.
  • There were no scientific methods of standardization of drugs.

Muslim rule in India:

  • The Indian system of medicine declined during the Muslim rule while the Arabic or the Unani-Tibbi system flourished.

British rule in India:

  • The western or the so-called Allopathic system came into India with the British traders who later become the rulers.
  • Under British rule this system got state patronage.
  • At that time it was meant for the ruling race only.
  • Later it descended to the people and become popular by the end of 19th Century.

Before 1940:

  • Initially all the drugs were imported from Europe.
  • Later some drugs of this system started to be manufactured in the country.
  1. 1901:    Establishment of the Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works, Calcutta by Acharya P.C. Ray.
  2. 1903:    A small factory at Parel (Bombay) by Prof. T.K. Gujjar.
  3. 1907:    Alembic Chemical Works at Baroda by Prof. T.K. Gujjar.
  • Drugs were mostly exported in crude form and imported in finished form.
  • During World War-I (1914 – 1920) the imports of drugs were cut-off.
  • Imports of drugs were resumed after the War. 
  • In absence of any restrictions on quality of drugs imported, manufacturer abroad took advantage of the situation.
  • The consequences were as follows:
  1. foreign manufacturers dumped inferior quality medicines and adulterated drugs.
  2. Markets were full of all sorts of useless and deleterious drugs were sold by unqualified men.

Examples of malpractices:

·        Poisoning due to quinine.
·        Putting of croton oil into eye instead of atropine solution.
·        Selling of chalk powder tablets in place of quinine.
·        Drug santonin was badly adulterated.
·        Potent drugs like compounds of antimony and arsenic and preparations of digitalis were dispensed without any standard.
  • Few laws were there having indirect bearing on drugs, but were insufficient.
Act
Year
Functions
Opium Act
1878
Dealt with cultivation of poppy and the manufacture, transport, export, import and sale of opium.
Indian Merchandise Act
1889
Misbranding of goods in general.
Indian Tariff Act
1894
Levy of customs duty on goods including foods, drinks, drugs, chemicals and medicines imported into India or exported there from..
Sea Customs Act
1898
Goods with false trade description’ were prevented from importing under this act..
Poisons Act
1919
Regulated the import, possession and sale of poisons..
Indian Penal Code (IPC)
1863
Some sections of IPC have mention of intentional adulterations as punishable offence..
Bengal Municipal Act
1884
.
City of Bombay District Municipal Act
1901
.
Bengal Excise Act
1909
.
Punjab Municipal Act
1911
.
United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) Prevention of Adulteration Act
1912
.
Punjab Excise Act
1914
.
United Provinces Municipalities Act
1919
.
Bengal Food Adulteration Act
1919
.
Bihar and Orissa Prevention of Adulteration Act
1919
.
Madras Prevention of Adulteration Act
1919
.
Bihar and Orissa Municipal Act
1922
.
Bihar and Orissa Municipal Act
1922
.
Central Provinces Municipalities Act
1922
.
Bombay Prevention of Adulteration Act
1925
.
Punjab Pure Food Act
1929
.

  • The laws were too superficial and had indirect link to drugs.

Drug enquiry committee:

  • Government of India on 11th August 1930 , appointed a committee under the chairmanship of Late Col. R.N.Chopra to see into the problems of Pharmacy in India and recommend the measures to be taken.
  • This committee published its report in 1931.
  • It was reported that there was no recognized specialized profession of Pharmacy.
  • A set of people known as compounders were filling the gap.
  • Just after the publication of the report Prof. M.L.Schroff (Prof. Mahadeva Lal Schroff) initiated pharmaceutical education at the university level in the Banaras Hindu University.
  • In 1935 United Province Pharmaceutical Association was established which later converted into Indian Pharmaceutical Association.
  • The Indian Journal of Pharmacy was started by Prof. M.L. Schroff in 1939.
  • All India Pharmaceutical Congress Association was established in 1940.
  • The Pharmaceutical Conference held its sessions at different places to publicize Pharmacy as a whole.
  • 1937:    Government of India brought ‘Import of Drugs Bill’; later it was withdrawn.
  • 1940:  Govt. brought ‘Drugs Bill’ to regulate the import, manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs in British India, this Bill was finally adopted as ‘Drugs Act of 1940’.
  • 1941:    The first Drugs Technical Advisory Board (D.T.A.B.) under this act was constituted.Central Drugs Laboratory was established in Calcutta.
  • 1945:   ‘Drugs Rule under the Drugs Act of 1940’ was established.
  • The Drugs Act has been modified from time to time and at present the provisions of the Act cover Cosmetics and Ayurvedic, Unani and Homeopathic medicines in some respects.
  • 1945: Govt. brought the Pharmacy Bill to standardize the Pharmacy Education in India
  • 1946: The Indian Pharmacopoeial List was published under the chairmanship of late Col.R.N. Chopra, it contained lists of drugs in use in India at that time which were not included in British Pharmacopoeia.
  • 1948: Pharmacy Act 1948 published.
  • 1948: Indian Pharmacopoeial Committee was constituted under the chairmanship of late Dr. B.N. Ghosh.
  • 1949: Pharmacy Council of India (P.C.I.) was established under Pharmacy Act 1948.
  • 1954: Education Regulation have come in force in some states but other states lagged behind.
  • 1954: Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954 was passed to stop misleading advertisements (e.g. "Cure all" pills.)
  • 1955: Medicinal and Toilet Prepartions (Excise Duties) Act 1955 was introduced to enforce uniform duty for all states for alcohol products.
  • 1955: First Edition of Indian Pharmacopoeia was published.
  • 1985: Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Act has been enacted to protect society from the dangers of addictive drugs.
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