Phytopharmaceutical practices of traditional health practitioners in Burkina Faso: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Traditional health practitioners constitute an important part of the health care system in Burkina Faso, particularly in the supply of traditional herbal medicines. Quality and safety of these medicines rely heavily on practices employed during their traditional development. However, traditional phytopharmaceutical practices are poorly described in Burkina Faso.

[Use of traditional medicines among conventional medicine practitioners in Burkina Faso].

Introduction: The integration of traditional medicine into biomedical health care practice is highly dependent on its acceptability by conventional medical practitioners. Its use by conventional practitioners was previously unknown in Burkina Faso.

Purpose Of Research: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of traditional medicine use and the frequency of occurrence of adverse events associated with this use among conventional medical practitioners in Burkina Faso.

Current Status and Challenges of Pharmacovigilance of Traditional Medicines in French-Speaking West African (UEMOA) Countries.

Background: West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) countries are characterised by a high prevalence of informal use of medicinal plants and traditional medicines by their population for health care, requiring the establishment of pharmacovigilance, in order to monitor the associated health risks. However, the state of implementation of pharmacovigilance for traditional medicines in UEMOA countries is not known.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the state of implementation of pharmacovigilance for traditional medicines in the eight UEMOA countries, describing the relevant community provisions, assessing the integration of traditional medicines monitoring into national pharmacovigilance systems and identifying related national challenges.

[Henri-Aimé Lotar (1836-1898) and the Museum of Faculty of pharmaceutical and biological sciences at the University of Lille].

Dispensing pharmacist (settled down at n° 27 of Roubaix street in Lille, in the ancient pharmacy of his father Henri Lucien Joseph Lotar), Henri-Aimé L otar was also assistant professor since 1865, then first pharmacy titular professor at the University of Lille (from the creation of the chair of pharmacy in 1881 to his death in 1898), hospital chief pharmacist, pharmacy inspector, member of Hygiene Council and representative of pharmacy at the Academic Council. He gave his name to the Museum Lotar, which is situated on the ground floor of the Faculty of pharmaceutical and biological sciences at the University of Lille and where his portrait – in official costume of professor – takes place within a rebuild pharmacy in «19th century» style. This museum besides includes ancient pharmacopoeias, numerous books (among which the monumental Herbarium of Charles Fourcade) and old registers of prescription – we made an inventory of those – as well as pharmacy pots, specimens of herbal drugs, patent medicines, medical devices, several objects for pharmaceutical use, laboratory instruments and a professor dress which belonged to Professor Morvillez, third successor of Lotar at the chair of Pharmacy.

[Crossed paths of two pharmacists in the French Resistance: Jean-François Salomon and Paul-Antoine Joanny].

Born in 1922, Jean-François Salomon--originating from Erstein (Bas-Rhin)--and Paul-Antoine Joanny--originating from Besse-en-Chandesse (Puy-de-Dôme)--begin together their higher education at the "full exercise school of pharmacy" of the University of Clermont-Ferrand (where the University of Strasbourg found refuge from 1940 to 1945). They met again for their officinal initiation training period at the same pharmacist, Mr. Robin, who helped them join the Resistance fighters.

[Pharmacology in ancient Rome. First appearance, development, extension].

The history of Roman pharmacology is ponctuated with ideological debates about relevance of this art. Thus, Hippocrates --a contemporary of Socrates who was teaching that "science of remedies and science of poisons are the same"--was given credit for favourable mood towards pharmaceuticals by Scribonius Largus on the basis of therapeutic complementarity. Among the Latin doctors of the late Roman Empire, Marcellus Empiricus and Caelius Aurelianus, Hippocrates appeared as an authority favourable towards medication, especially in a fictitious letter written by Marcellus to the Claudian emancipated slave Callistus.