ABSTRACT
Before the days of mass literacy, medicine was more art than science, and people recognized a pharmacy by the four traditional colored bottles that represent earth, fire, air, and water. Medicine has come a long way since the days of the apothecary with its impressive collection of powders and bottles; drugs today are highly regulated and must comply with standards set by the U.S., Europe, Japan, and other countries. A drug must be shown to be efficacious and meet rigorous standards of purity, composition, and potency before being approved for use in the patient population. These regulations provide confidence to the patient that a prescribed medicine will achieve its therapeutic goal. Whether in the form of a pill, a capsule, an injection, a tablespoon of syrup, or an inhaler, analytical methods ensure the identity, purity, potency, and ultimately the performance of these drugs.
