That would be too much to remember and do. A pharmacist is first a sage of medicinal substances. This was from a time when few illnesses were understood, so there was still the time to for medical practitioners perform both medical and pharmacological duties.

Soon afterward, specialists in concocting medicines came to be. The tasks of the modern pharmacist are based on ancient roles, but these are no less important today. Pharmacists - Purveyors of Panacea, Or Something Like It Medicine is important to living a long life. In olden times the doctor was also the pharmacist, or more correctly the apothecary. A pharmacist needs to know many medicinal substances - from herbs to metals to synthetic compounds - in order to know what sickness is treated with which. As knowledge of the living organism and materia medica expanded, it became increasingly difficult for medical practitioners to learn and remember everything.

This is where pharmacists come in. Additionally, these medical materials can react and interact with each other in.

Doctors are responsible for diagnosing and recommending courses of treatment, but they can't be expected to make the medicine themselves.