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THE SOCIETY OF APOTHECARIES OF LONDON
| Trade in drugs and spices was lucrative in the Middle Ages. In the
British Isles, it was monopolized by the Guild of Grocers, which had jurisdiction
over the apothecaries. After years of effort, the apothecaries found allies
among court physicians. King James I, flanked by two "Beefeaters" wore
heavily padded attire because of fear of stabbing. Upon persuasion by the
philosopher-politician, Francis Bacon, the King granted a charter in 1617
which formed a separate company known as the "Master, Wardens and Society
of the Art and Mystery of the Apothecaries of the City of London" over
vigorous protests of the grocers. This was the first organization of pharmacists
in the Anglo-Saxon world. |
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