Pharmacy 💉💊

Invention/Contribution:

• Muslims established the first true pharmacies (saydalas) as a professional science in the 8th century.

• Pharmacists were trained, tested, and licensed — ensuring quality, safety, and ethics.

• Developed methods of distillation, crystallization, evaporation, and filtration to prepare medicines.

• Introduced new compounds such as syrups, juleps, and medicinal oils.

• Compiled encyclopedias of drugs, like Ibn al-Baytar’s Compendium of Simple Medicaments (1,400 substances) and Al-Biruni’s Pharmacy.

Why it matters:

• Turned pharmacy into a separate science from medicine.

• Influenced European apothecaries and laid the foundation of the modern pharmaceutical industry.

• Ensured that patients received standardized, effective, and safe remedies.

“The science of pharmacy as we know it today is a Muslim innovation.”

George Sarton, historian of science

The world’s first pharmacies opened in Baghdad in the 8th century. Muslim pharmacists, carefully trained and licensed, prepared medicines with precision — from syrups and oils to pills and ointments. Scholars like Ibn al-Baytar and Al-Biruni catalogued hundreds of remedies, setting standards that shaped both the Islamic world and medieval Europe. These early pharmacies transformed healthcare, ensuring safety and science in every dose.