Islamset - Quality Control: Past and Present

QUALITY CONTROL: PAST AND PRESENT*
Prof. Dr. M. Zuhair Al-Baba
SYRIA

ABSTRACT

Since the beginning, man has tried to take advantage of all living materials and minerals. The plant Kingdom was always to him representative of a great source for obtaining such materials for this very reason he found it as necessary to draw lines of distinction because food, "remedy" and poisons, depending in this respect mainly on his own senses and memory. The "Remedies" used by the ancient people were simple and made out of one material. However with the progress of civilization drugs became more complicated consequently sophisticated methods have become necessary.

The prominent Roman scientist "Pliny" described a method to differentiate between the (Verdet) and the (Vitriol) so was Dioscrides who described a method of examining some drugs specially Opium.

Later on, after the appearance of Islam, Religion Of Arab Empire became vast and heterogeneous and this in itself necessitated the setting up of a sort of quality control over almost everything including many drugs. Furthermore, a group of people was formed and was entrusted with the task supervising this activity. They were called "The Advisors". Subsequently several methods were newly verified for discovering adulteration and substitution of drugs. These methods were mentioned in details in several medical books of the time.

In Europe, the need to examine compounded preparations was less significant than identification of drugs, since the majority of physicians prepare their remedies and present them to their patients by themselves. At any rate, a large number of those physicians were personally concerned with collecting some of the local plants or managed to buy them from round market sellers.

Once drugs became available, from Orient, in large quantities during medival times and these drugs were subject to adulteration and deterioration. Thus the necessity to Arabic medical books became inevitable to the physicians of that time, for such books contain detailed description of many drugs and some of them contain a formula for compounded preparations besides some simple methods of examination of same.

One of the well-known books was "Liber Regius" or "Pentagni" which was translated by Constantinus Africanus (died 1087), "Cod d' Avicenne" which was translated by Gerardo Of Cremona in 1279.

The first Medical School in Europe was "S. Salerinatus" in Italy one of the most famous books of which is called "Antidoteirum Nicolai" which contains a lot of information about drugs based on the above mentioned Arabic Books.

In 1359, King Of France Jean Le Bon enacted a decree comprising that Pharmacists must obtain this book and prepare remedies in compliance with said book.

During Sixteenth century, Europe witnessed the appearance of new kind of medicine, which depended upon the use of chemical compounds in treatment known as "Iatrochimy". This kind of Medicine is related to a German Chemist called "Paracelsus" (died 1670). It is also worth noting that a lot of his thoughts were derived from The Arabic Books. Paracelsus used distillation extensively in order to obtain a material he called "Fifth Element" (Quintessence) to which the effect of drug is attributed. Before French Revolution Broke out, two members of The Academy Of Science Of France started to examine a number of drugs while using distillation process as well. However, this examination came to be unfruitful, thus human senses remained the only way adopted in examination.

* As the full text could not be made available, we are publishing here the abstract only.

Editors.

The appearance of "special preparation" in Europe which was called ("The secret remedies"), is of great significance in the development of drug examination particularly in the examination of the preparations that contain: Antimony, Arsenic and Mercury, besides examination of some drugs imported from The New World such as Ipecacuanha.

These preparations enjoyed a wide spread popularity in Europe while they had been purchased against high prices, thus The French Government, in 1728, started the manufacturing control of such preparation for tworeasons:

To ensure that manufacturers are duly licensed and duly have necessary documentation.

Seeking to know the drug components of which remedy consists hence ensuring that it is free from any toxic materials.

However, research people started to resort to new methods both physical and chemical in order to have cantrol over drugs both as to quantity and quality.