what is a apothecary

An apothecary is a medical professional who formulates and dispenses medicine to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The term "apothecary" comes from the Ancient Greek word "apothḗkē," meaning "a repository, storehouse". In the past, apothecaries were chemists who mixed and sold their own medicines from a fixed shopfront, catering to other medical practitioners, such as surgeons, but also to lay customers walking in from the street. They used their own measurement system, the apothecaries system, to provide precise weighing of small quantities. Apothecaries dispensed vials of poisons as well as medicines, and as is still the case, medicines could be either beneficial or harmful if inappropriately used. The profession of apothecary can be dated back at least to 2600 BC to ancient Babylon, which provides one of the earliest records of the practice of the apothecary. Nowadays, the term "apothecary" is sometimes used to refer to a pharmacy or drugstore.