PHYSICIAN. 
310 
good of his people, and being perfuaded that the efta- 
blilhing the general ufe of the faid book may tend to the 
prevention of fuch deceits in the making and compound¬ 
ing medicines, wherein the lives and health of his majef- 
ty’s fubjedts are fo highly concerned, hath therefore 
thought fir, by and with the advice of his privy council, 
hereby to notify to all apothecaries and others concerned, 
to the intent they may not pretend ignorance thereof, 
that the faid book, called “ Pharmacopoeia Collegii Re- 
galis Medicorum Londinenfis,” is perfected and ready to 
be publilhed; and his majefty doth therefore ftridtly re¬ 
quire, charge, and command, all and fingular apotheca¬ 
ries and others, whole bulinel's it is to compound medi¬ 
cines, or diftil oils or waters, or make other extracts, 
within any part of his majefty’s kingdom of Great Bri¬ 
tain called England, dominion of Wales, and town of 
Berwick upon Tweed, that they and every of them im¬ 
mediately after the faid “ Pharmacopoeia Collegii Rega¬ 
ins Medicorum Londinenfis” fhall be printed and pub- 
lilhed, do not compound or make any medicine or medi¬ 
cinal receipt or prefcription, or diftil any oil or waters, or 
make other extracts that are or lhall be in the laid “ Phar¬ 
macopoeia Collegii Regalis Medicorum Londinenfis” 
mentioned or named, in any other manner or form than 
is or fliall be directed, prefcribed, and fet down, by the 
faid book, and according to the weights and meafures that 
are or fhall be therein limited, except it lhall be by the 
Ipecia! direflion or prefcription of fome learned phyfician 
in that behalf: and his majefty doth hereby declare, that 
the offenders to the contrary lhall not only incur his ma- 
jefty’sjuft difpleafure, but be proceeded againft for fuch 
their contempt and offences according to the utmoft feve- 
rityoflaw, James Bueler. 
The College of Edinburgh firft publilhed their Phar¬ 
macopoeia in 1722 ; and improved editions have fuccel- 
iively appeared in 1736, 1747, 1756, 1775, 1783, 1792, 
1803, and 1805, this lal’c being little more than a new irn- 
prellion of the preceding. The Dublin College firft pub¬ 
lilhed a Pharmacopoeia in 1794; and in 1807 republilhed 
it with confiderable improvements. In this edition they 
have chiefly followed the plan of the Edinburgh Pharma¬ 
copoeia, but they contain theufual pharmaceutical names 
of the fimples, though they have in general adopted the 
reformed chemical nomenclature. 
Befides the Pharmacopoeias printed under the authority 
of public colleges, a great many have been publilhed by 
individuals both on the continent and in Britain. We 
lhall notice the principal of thefe in chronological order. 
The earlieft of them that we find on record, after -thofe 
of Nicholaus, is the Antidot avium Speciale of Wecker, 
which was printed in 1561. Four years after appeared 
the Antidotarium of Montagna, publilhed at Venice; and 
at the fame place, in 1600, appeared a f work by Fioraventi, 
entitled Sccreti Ratiunali Intorno (din Medicina. In 1608, 
Renodasus publilhed at Paris his Qfjicina Pharmaceutica 
feu Antidotarium. Mynficht’s Armamentarium Medico- 
vhymipum appeared in 1631 ; and, in 1656, Schroeder pub¬ 
lilhed at Leyden his Pharmacopoeia Medico-Chemica. In 
1676 Charas publiflied his Pharmacopce Galenique et Che- 
mique at Paris, and in 1684 the fame work was republilhed 
in Latin at Genoa. In 1698 appeared the celebrated 
Pliarmacopee Univerfelle of Lemery ; and in the fame year 
the Pharmacopoeia Spagyrica of Poterius. Triller’s DiJ- 
penfatdrium Pharmacentiann Univerfale was publilhed at 
Frankfort in 1764; Spieltnan’s Pharmacopoeia Generalis, 
at Stralburg in 1783, and Reufs’s Dijpcnjatorium Univerfale 
at the fame place. 
In our own country, feveral ufeful works of this kind 
have been produced. One of the earlieft and among 
the moft refpeffable of thefe, is the Pharmacopoeia Offici~ 
nalis ct Extcmporanca, or Complete Englilh Difpenfatory, 
of Dr. Quincy, which was firft publiflied in 1718, again 
in 1722, and in 1-739 had reached the, eleventh edition. 
Conftuiering the time at which it was written, this is an 
excellent performance, and is the more interefting as it 
formed the foundation on which were compofed thofe 
more accurate and fcientific works, the New Difpenfatory 
of Lewis, and the Edinburgh New Difpenfatory. Quin¬ 
cy’s Difpenfatory was followed by fimilar works; as by 
James’s Dilpenfatory in 1747, Lewis’s in 1753, and the 
the Edinburgh New Dilpenfatory by Webfter in 1786. 
At length, in 1803, Dr. Andrew Duncan, junior, pub¬ 
lilhed his Edinburgh New Difpenfatory, which, from the 
important additions and improvements progreflively in¬ 
troduced in four editions, mull be confidered as a new 
work, and has entirely fuperfeded every fimilar publica¬ 
tion, at leaft in Scotland. 
We might naturally expeft, from the early dates of 
fome of the books we have quoted, to find the Roman 
numerals ufed to exprefs the quantities of every prepara¬ 
tion ; for, though the Arabic figures were already known 
in Europe, yet they did not come into general ufe till near 
the end of the fixteenth century; (fee the article Num¬ 
ber, vol. xvii. p. 302, 3.) but that profeffional gentlemen, 
in the 19th century, lliould ftill continue to write four 
chara&ers, viij. for a figure of 8, and feven charafters, 
xx.vviij. for 38, is indeed aftonilhing. 
The following is a copy of the Charter of the College 
of Phyficians, granted by Henry VIII. and confirmed by 
parliament in the 14th year of his reign. 
Henry, by the Grace of God, King of England and 
France, and Lord of Ireland, to all to whom thefe letters 
may come, Greeting: 
Whereas, confidering it to be our kingly duty to pro¬ 
vide in every way for the welfare and improve the condi¬ 
tion qf our ftibjeiSfs, we judge that this objebl will be ful¬ 
filled by defeating the attempts of the difhoneft ; We 
have therefore thought fit to reprefs the audacity of thofe 
unprincipled men, who praftife medicine rather from 
avarice than the confidence of a good confcience, whence 
many evils may arife to unlearned and credulous perfons : 
Therefore, partly from imitation of the example of well- 
conftituted cities in Italy and many other nations, and 
being partly influenced by the reprefentation of thofe fe- 
date and learned men, John Chambre, Thomas Linacre, 
Fernandus de Victoria; our phyficians, Drs. Nicholas 
Halfwell, John Fraunces, and Robert Yaxley; and parti¬ 
cularly of our Reverend Father in God, Thomas, elder 
cardinal of St. Cecilia, beyond the Tiber, of the moft 
holy Roman Church, Archbilhop of York, and Chancel¬ 
lor of our Kingdom of England; We will and command, 
that there be a perpetual College of fedate learned men 
to prnbtife Medicine in our City of London, its fuburbs, 
and within feven miles thereof; to whom we hope it will 
be confidered a duty, for the fake of their own honour as 
well as the public good, to immediately reprefs by their 
example the ignorance and temerity of the daring, whole 
aftions we have mentioned, and likewife, by virtue of 
our laws lately made, and the bye-laws about to be made 
by the College, to punifti them. 
We have therefore ordained, that the before-named 
learned men, John Chambre, Thomas Linacre, Fernan¬ 
das de Victoria, our phyficians, Nicholas Halfwell, John 
Fraunces, and Robert Yaxley, Do£lors of Medicine, and 
all men of the faid City, be, in name and in faff, one 
Body and Perpetual Commonalty, or permanent College; 
and that the faid Community or College, every year, for 
ever, may eleft out of that Community a fit perfon, well 
fkilled in the faculty of Medicine, and appoint him Prefi- 
dent of the faid College or Commonalty, tofupervife, fu- 
perintend, and, during that year, to govern, the faid Col¬ 
lege, or Commonalty, and all men of that faculty, and 
their affairs. And that the laid jPrefident and College, 
or Commonalty, have perpetual fucceflion, and a common 
feal to be always ufed in the tranfa&ions of the faid Com. 
monalty and Prefident. And that they and their fuccef 
fors for ever be perfons capable and competent to pur- 
chafe and poffefs, in fee and perpetuity, lands, tenements, 
rents, and°every other kind of property whatsoever. 
We have alfo, for ourfeives and our heirs, granted to 
them and their fucceflors power to purchafe for them- 
felves and their fucceflors, as well within as without the 
4 faid 
