This master’s thesis deals with the revised Austrian Provincial Pharmacopoeia (Pharmacopoea Austriaco-provincialis emendata), published in Vienna in 1794. Its authors are Antonius L.B. de Störck, Joseph Franz von Jacquin, Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Johann Michael Schosulan, Wenzel von Czerny, Joseph Basgetha and Karl Josef Offermanns, all physicians and/or pharmacists by profession.
This master's thesis contains critical evaluation of the said pharmacopoeia. It contains Slovene translations of the original Latin names of medicinal substances and preparations, which in some cases would correspond to today's term "medicine". We encountered minor difficulties in translating the materia medica, as we were looking for suitable names for some medicinal plants, Latin names of which have been completely changed since the end of the 18th century. The names of medicinal products are generally based on the pharmaceutical form, which is accompanied by information on the intended use, as well as by information on its contents. Some names of the preparations, which had not been previously found in Slovene literature, have been translated logically.
We critically evaluated the preparations and active ingredients used at the time. For treatment, parts of medicinal plants and preparations were mostly used, some being substances of animal origin, and some being inorganic substances and organic molecules derived from plant material, indicating the use of "pure" chemicals in pharmacy. At that time, there were no synthetically obtained organic substances, as it was still three decades before the Woehler's synthesis of urea, the first synthetically prepared organic molecule. Most medicinal plants are well known today, much of them are still used in pharmacy or in traditional medicine. Some are no longer encountered in the field of pharmacy due to their proven ineffectiveness, side effects, toxic effects or simply due to reduced interest in their use. Many pharmaceutical forms and preparations which were used at that time (roob, trochisci, oximel) have been replaced by more advanced forms, while some have been preserved in practically unchanged composition, e.g. syrups, tinctures …
The pharmacopoeia in question is comparable in content and quality with other important pharmacopoeias of that time. It covers most of the preparations known at the time, which were used by doctors and pharmacists for treatment in unchanged form or for the manufacture of medicines in the modern sense of the word. In accordance with the content of the pharmacy books of that time, the procedures for their preparation are described quite in detail.
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