Moyse Charas

Moyse Charas
Born(1619-04-02)2 April 1619
Uzès, Gard, France
Died17 January 1698(1698-01-17) (aged 78)
Paris
Other namesMoses Charas
Alma materJardin des Plantes
OccupationApothecary
Notable workPharmacopée royale

Moyse Charas, or Moses Charas (2 April 1619 – 17 January 1698),[1][2] was an apothecary in France during the reign of Louis XIV. He became famous for publishing compendiums of medication formulas, which played vital roles in the development of modern pharmacy and chemistry.[3] He is best remembered for his medical compendium Pharmacopée royale galénique et chymyque published in 1676 (later translated into Latin version Pharmacopoeus Regius,[4] and English Royal Pharmacopoea in 1678.[5])

Charas grew up and trained in apothecary in Orange. While working at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, he was invited to England as pharmacist to Charles II of England. He was captured and held in prison by the Spanish Inquisition while travelling around Spain, until he renounced his Protestantism and converted to Catholicism. After solemnising his new faith in Paris, he was inducted to the French Academy of Sciences.[6]

  1. ^ Partington, James Riddick (1963). A History of Chemistry, Volume 3. Macmillan. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-88-826211-7.
  2. ^ Chalmers, Alexander. "Moses Charas". General Biographical Dictionary. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  3. ^ Boulnois, Luce (2005). Silk Road: Monks, Warriors & Merchants. Hong Kong: Odyssey Books. pp. 131, 262. ISBN 962-217-721-2.
  4. ^ "Moses Charas Pharmacopoeus Regius". U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  5. ^ Greenberg, Arthur (2006). From Alchemy to Chemistry in Picture and Story. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-0-471-75154-0.
  6. ^ Felix, FW (2002). "Moyse Charas, apothecary and medical doctor (Uzés 1619 - Paris 1698)". Revue d'histoire de la pharmacie. 50 (333): 63–80. PMID 12141324.