ABSTRACT
Do you ever wonder how the modern pharmacy originated? One of the most universal of all human experiences is the trip to the local community pharmacy, a place where modern medicine and convenience store merchandising meet. When one thinks of the word “pharmacist,” it conjures up an immediate and familiar image of a pharmacist behind a counter busily tending to the needs of his/her patients. Today community pharmacies take many shapes and forms from the corner drugstore, the pharmacy in the supermarket, the chain pharmacy, or the big box department store pharmacy. This chapter is about the origin and evolution of the great American institution, the community pharmacy.
