From the 15th century to the 16th century, the apothecary gained the status of a skilled practitioner. In England, the apothecaries merited their own livery company, the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, founded in 1617. Its roots, however, go back much earlier to the Guild of Pepperers formed in London in 1180.

Were there apothecaries in the 1800s?

By the 1800s the role of the apothecary had changed considerably. Whilst some apothecaries were still involved in the dispensing and mixing of drugs, few did so from a retail perspective and instead charged patients directly for remedies during clinical visits.

Do apothecaries still exist?

Some hospitals still have their own apothecary for mixing drugs, in-house. But for a few remaining establishments, the apothecary as it was once known is all but extinct. Today, you can get your prescription drugs delivered to your front door every month.