Pharmacy Order

Pharmacy orders were important government institutions of the Russian Empire. They were created in 1620 under the Medical Order to manage the production and distribution of drugs, pharmaceutical chemistry and medicine. Over the course of several centuries, they played an important role in the development of pharmaceutical science and medicine in Russia.

Pharmacy orders were administered by the head of the royal medical department, also called a physician or “pharmacist,” and his subordinates, who were called pharmacists. Their main task was to provide pharmacies with a sufficient quantity of medicines, as well as control over their quality and effectiveness. In addition, pharmacists supervised the work of pharmacies and paramedics, which consisted of distributing and administering medicines according to doctor's instructions or pharmacological guidelines. Pharmacy orders worked with the entire territory of the Russian Empire; with the exception of those places where there were their own medical institutions. To do this, the orders sent doctors, pharmacists and chemists to different regions in order to collect information about local diseases, diagnose patients and advise on the choice of necessary medications. In addition, pharmacy orders trained local doctors and pharmacists in the methods of preparing and using medicines, as well as how to store them in pharmacies. The tasks of pharmacists also included monitoring compliance with sanitary standards during the preparation and storage of medicines, conducting laboratory tests, monitoring the quality of imported medicines, etc.