The Odyssey of English: The both healing and harmful origin of ‘pharmacy’

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John William Waterhouse’s Sketch of Circe, the witch goddess, from 1911-1914.

Supplied/Stuff

John William Waterhouse’s Sketch of Circe, the witch goddess, from 1911-1914.

The word “pharmacy” has a fascinating origin story that’s as complex as the practice itself.

It comes from the Greek word ‘’pharmakeia’’, which referred to ‘’the practice of the druggist’’. But here is the twist: ‘’phármakon’’, the root of the term, was a double-edged sword – it meant a plant or herb that could be used for either healing or harmful purposes, blurring the line between medicine and poison.

It’s a reminder of the age-old saying, “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.”

Already in the 5th century BC, the famous physician Hippocrates found it useful to distinguish a dēlētēriōn phármakon (harmful drug), from where our word deleterious (noxious, harmful) derives, from other drugs.

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But by the second century BC, pharmakon was only used to denote medicines or remedies, with dēlētēriōn becoming a noun referring to poisons.

The original dual meaning of phármakon, as both remedy and poison, reflects the complex nature of the practice of pharmacy. This involves the preparation and dispensation of medicinal substances for healing purposes while ensuring the dosage and combination prescribed avoid harmful consequences or side effects.

Fast forward to the Middle Ages, apothecary shops (from the Greek word apothēkē meaning storehouse or repository) were established for compounding and dispensing medicines made from various ingredients such as herbs, spices, and minerals.

Often associated with monasteries, where monks cultivated medicinal plants and prepared remedies for local communities, these apothecaries laid the foundation for the modern-day pharmacy as we know it.

Interestingly, phármakon also had a third meaning associated with magic operations: magic potion (or philtre) that could be used for both good and bad purposes.

In Homer’s famous epic poem, The Odyssey, the enchanting witch goddess Circe is described as using phármaka, a term referring to all kinds of natural substances that can be used in spells. She performs her magic by mixing a drug into a special potage which she offers to Odysseus’ companions, transforming them into swine.

Fortunately, wily Odysseus, protected by a special magical herb called moly, demands that Circe reverse her spell and she obliges: she anoints the companions with another drug that turns them back into human form, even rejuvenating them.

It is not at all certain that the slang name for MDMA, “molly”, is derived from this legend – the more popular contention being that molly is perhaps an abbreviation of the word molecular – but recent research has suggested that Homer’s moly is a real plant, the delicate snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis), which can be used as an antidote to stramonium poisoning.

So next time you step into a pharmacy, remember the rich history behind the word – a tale of remedies, poisons, and spells, and the fine art of balancing between healing and harm – and make sure you read the prescription instructions carefully.

The Odyssey of English is a regular series looking at the Greek and Latin origin of words, and is part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Massey University’s Classical Studies programme.

Gina Salapata is an associate professor and the co-ordinator of the classical studies programme at Massey University. Oliver Ballance is a linguistics lecturer at Massey University.

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