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The History of Pharmacy Symbols
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ImageAs with many other industries, the healthcare industry is identified by many different symbols.  Pharmacy symbols are also unique to the world of pharmaceuticals, some know to patients and others used more often within the professional world.  Each of these pharmacy symbols relate to something specific, with many having a long history and others being newer.

Typically, pharmacy symbols are universal, meaning they mean the same thing regardless of country.  However, there are other symbols that are very specific to a part of the world.  Additionally, while many pharmacy symbols are easily explained, there are others that simply have been used but without much representation.  Regardless, the more common symbols used in the field of pharmacy include the following:

•    Serpent of Epidaurus – Sitting on the staff of Aesculapius, this particular pharmacy symbol is located on the lower, left-hand corner of a shield, which is on the crest associated with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.  As a Greek God for medicine, Aesculapius carries a staff that has a snake coiled on it.  Interestingly, this snake actually represents immortality, wisdom, and healing in both far and Middle Eastern cultures.

•    Bowl of Hygeia - As a part of the Serpent of Epidaurus there is also a bowl that has a snake coiled around it.  Similar to the above pharmacy symbol, the Bowl of Hygeia comes from Hungary, which features a serpent taking a drink out of the bowl signifying health.

•    Serpent and Palm Tree – Representing pharmacists from Portuguese and commonly used in France, this pharmacy symbol has a palm tree that is the vegetable kingdom and the serpent, which is the animal kingdom.  Together, the two signify healing.

•    Caduceus – For this pharmacy symbol, you have a staff with wings that represents Hermes in Greek and Mercury in Roman pharmacies.  The word Caduceus is a Greek word that translates to “herald’s wings”, which was actually taken from the symbol of medicine that dates back to the 19th century.

•    Carboy – With this pharmacy symbol, you see a globular base glass vessel designed with a very narrow neck.  Typically, this particular symbol is associated with beautiful and vibrant colors.  Experts believe this pharmacy symbol started in the Near East and at some time, it made its way to Britain.  The glass vessel would be filled with colored liquids, lending to its unique appearance.

•    Recipe – Starting when prescriptions were first introduced to the public, the Recipe pharmacy symbol is now a universal sign that originates from the Latin word “take thou”.

•    Green Cross – First appearing in Europe, this pharmacy symbol is one of the newer ones originating in the 20th century.  The Green Cross actually replaced the Red Cross in the mid-19th century, making its way to Britain in the late 20th century.

•    Mortar and Pestle – For many years, this pharmacy symbol was the best known associated with the world of pharmacy.  In early years, this simple bowl was used along with the pestle to crush tablets or other hard medicines to create a powdered substance.  Today, the mortar and pestle is rarely used, now being replaced by new machinery and technology.

The different options associated with a pharmacy symbol have evolved over centuries.  However, what makes these symbols so unique is that even the more up to date versions typically feature some kind of serpent.  While this might seem to some as being unrelated to the world of pharmaceuticals, it is important to remember that when symbols were first created and used, the serpent was representative of healing and health.

The two most common pharmacy symbols we relate to today include the serpent coiled around a staff and the simply initials Rx.  Interestingly, while the Rx pharmacy symbol is the one that we see most often in today’s world, it is actually a very old symbol that is an abbreviation for a Latin word, “Recipere” or “Recipe”.  In early times, apothecaries would use formulas when writing out prescriptions.  For the actual drug to be made, various compound ingredients were used.  If you look at the Rx pharmacy symbol from the 1980 Pharmaceutical Handbook, you would see that the abbreviation for Rx in Latin means “let a mixture be made”.

Of course, when it comes to the pharmacy industry, there are several different symbols that also use the letter “x”.  Although European pharmacy actually began as a Greek tradition, many of the pharmacy symbols that continue to be used were a unique blend of Asian and Egyptian sources.  The old symbols live on and remain an important representation of pharmacy today as we know it.
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