Pharmaceuticals in the Phanariot era

Modern idea from Western Europe began to be adopted in the east of the continent in the 18th century, including new approaches to treating diseases in medicine and pharmacy.

Steliu Lambru, 27.04.2026, 14:00

According to historians, the Phanariot era in the Romanian Principalities began in 1718 and ended more than a century later, in 1822. It is named after the princes originating from the Phanar district of Constantinople who were installed on the thrones of the two Romanian Principalities. The 18th century or the Phanariot century, as it is known locally, was when the modern trends in Western Europe began to be adopted in the east of the continent, as well. And modernity also meant new approaches to treating diseases in medicine and pharmacy.

Raluca Moței specialises in the history of pharmacy in Wallachia, one of the two Romanian Principalities. She is also part of an artefact recovery project that the Bucharest Municipality Museum is carrying out in order to reconstruct the map of pharmacies in Wallachia in the 18th century. Moței studied the history of legislation regarding the marketing of medicines and the pharmaceutical practices at that time:

“Documents from the 18th century include the first records of the existence of pharmacists, who were to be found  in the entourage of rulers. In 1703, the Chronicle of Income and Expenditures of the Treasury of Wallachia mentions the payment of 30 thalers to a pharmacist who had accompanied the ruler Constantin Brâncoveanu to Adrianople. With the establishment of the first hospitals, the first pharmacies also appeared, such as those located in the vicinity of the Colțea Hospital or the Pantelimon Hospital. There, pharmacists prepared herbal remedies for the sick. In parallel, private pharmacies also developed, one of the most famous being in the Șerban-Vodă inn, located in the centre of the capital city.”

Modernity in the 18th century translated into a gradual increase of the state’s authority and its firm presence in the area of public health. Laws became more rigorous, control of commercial activities with medicines was tightened, the state issued legislation to regulate the level of competence of doctors and pharmacists, with safety in the exercise of these professions being considered a priority. Towards the end of the century, increasingly clear functional relationships were established between the state and the pharmaceutical sector. Raluca Moței explains:

“In the absence of clear regulations, pharmacists carried out their activity based on vague provisions from the past. This made pharmaceutical practice rudimentary and lacking in standards. To remedy the situation, on November 20, 1780, Prince Alexandru Ipsilanti issued the first official regulations on the trade in medicines. Pharmacists were placed under the control of the prince’s chief physician, who was responsible for inspecting pharmacies, checking quality and controlling prices. Doctors were advised to use only fresh remedies. Ipsilanti also issued the first official regulation on the organisation of pharmacies on May 15, 1797. It imposed the use of the Austrian pharmacopoeia of 1780 as the basis for the preparation of medicines and remedies.”

Alexandru Ipsilanti is considered the first to reform the pharmaceutical sector in the Romanian lands.

“In 1797, Ipsilanti issued another series of laws that helped regulate the field  and which banned pharmacists to sell toxic products. Also, most of the products made in pharmacies had to be accompanied by a prescription given by a doctor at the time such a product was sold. From this document containing the laws it also emerges that, at that time, in Bucharest there were nine pharmacies, which were located in the main areas of the city, mostly in the central area, at different inns. The inns were a kind of commercial centres, with many shops on the ground floor. These places were convenient for pharmacists to organize their business.”

As European modern ideas became increasingly influential in Wallachia, Phanariot princes continued to make laws that responded to the demands of new pharmaceutical trends. Raluca Moței:

“At the beginning of the 19th century, the regulation of the pharmaceutical activity became stricter. It moved from tolerance to rigorous control by the authorities. On November 4, 1819, Prince Alexandru Suțu appointed a medical commission to draft a regulation on the organization of pharmacies. The document marks an important moment in the history of legislation because it contains the terms pharmacy and pharmacist for the first time. The project introduced a strict framework of professional control, pharmacists had to be examined by official doctors, and those without a diploma had to prove their skills. Pharmacies were obliged to stock up according to the Austrian pharmacopoeia of 1814, they were subject to periodic inspections and strict penalties. Prices had to be in accordance with the Austrian tariffs of 1814 and the sale of complex preparations without a prescription was strictly prohibited. The opening of pharmacies was conditional on obtaining a royal charter, and trade in toxic substances was prohibited.”

In 18th century Romania, European modernity and the bureaucratic measures of the state governed the development of the pharmaceutical sector and new attitudes towards illness and healing.