ABSTRACT
As with all other endeavors in human progress, the identication and use of therapeutic agents to treat disease and alleviate pain and suffering have changed dramatically over time (Rubin 2007; Scheindlin 2001; Tsinopoulos and McCarthy 2002). The origin of the use of potential therapeutic agents is lost in antiquity but certainly dates back several millennia. The use of presumed therapeutic agents was described in written records from ancient Greece and Egypt, as well as other areas of the world. While a detailed history of drug discovery of pharmacologic agents is available (Sneader 2005), only a brief overview is provided here.
