Trends and events in American pharmacy, 1852-2002
Griffenhagen, G.B.; Brushwood, D.; Parascandola, J.; Schondelmeyer, S.
Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association 42(5 Suppl. 1): S24-S25
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 1086-5802 PMID: 12296541 Document Number: 543738
The mid-19th century was a watershed for the governance of American pharmacy, marked by the founding of APhA in 1852 and the recognition that pharmacists had a duty to protect patients' health and welfare. Drug therapy has undergone a dramatic transformation since the pharmacological shotgun approach of the mid-1880s, propelled by progress in the biomedical sciences, including the recent genetics revolution. The rising number and cost of prescriptions is a leading public policy issue and a contributing factor to the current shortage of pharmacists.