Nomenclature — the first-year Pharmacy chapter on naming drugs, for students

By the end of first year you will have met a lot of drug names. Fifty in Materia Medica. Twelve tissue salts. More in Pharmacy practicals. Each one has to be read, written and spoken correctly. This chapter gives you the system behind them.

The NCH syllabus calls it “Nomenclature”. It is the sixth chapter of HomUG-HP, the code for first-year Homoeopathic Pharmacy. Nomenclature just means a system of naming. The sheet lists four topics. This piece is a study guide to each one, written for BHMS students.

Topic one: the basic rules

The first topic is “The Basic Rules of Nomenclature”. Before you learn names, you learn how names are built.

In science, naming follows fixed rules so that one name points to one thing, everywhere in the world. In biology, for example, a scientific name usually has two parts. The first names the wider group, called the genus. The second names the particular kind, called the species. Many homoeopathic drug names follow that shape.

The syllabus does not list the rules themselves. Your textbook will set them out. When you learn them, test yourself on real names from your own medicine list. Can you tell which part is the genus and which is the species? That small drill makes the rules stick.

Topic two: how homoeopathic drugs are named

The second topic is “Nomenclature of Homoeopathic Drugs”. This takes the general rules and applies them to your subject.

Homoeopathic drugs come from many sources. Chapter eight of the same Pharmacy syllabus lists them: plants, animals and minerals, and also nosodes, sarcodes, imponderabilia and synthetic sources. A naming system has to handle all of these. A plant name and a mineral name are not built the same way.

So this topic asks you to see how naming works across the different sources. Your teachers will show you the patterns. As you learn each source in chapter eight, come back to this chapter and ask how drugs from that source are named.

Topic three: key terms

The third topic reads “Important terminologies like scientific names, common names, synonyms”. Three terms, each worth one clear line in your notes.

• Scientific name. The formal name, set by the rules of science. It is the same in every language.
• Common name. The everyday name people use. It can change from place to place.
• Synonym. Another accepted name for the same drug.

Why does a student need all three? Because you will meet all three. Old books, new books, labels and lectures do not always use the same form. If you know the synonyms, you will recognise a drug whichever name appears. If you do not, you may think two names mean two different drugs.

A practical tip: when you learn a drug, write its names together in one line. Scientific name, common name, any synonyms. Then the link is in your notes from the start.

Topic four: anomalies

The fourth topic is “Anomalies in Nomenclature”. An anomaly is something that breaks the usual pattern.

This is an honest topic. It tells you the system is not perfect. Some names do not follow the rules. Some are inconsistent between sources. Some are confusing on first sight. Your textbook will give the standard examples.

You can see how much care naming needs just by reading lists closely. The syllabus sheet itself writes many names in short form, such as “Ledum Pal”, “Apis Mel” and “Hepar Sulph”. Spelling can vary between sources too. The first-year medicine list prints “Belladona” with a single “n”, where you will usually see it spelt with two.

None of this is a reason to worry. It is a reason to be careful. In practice and in exams, write names in full and spell them exactly as your textbook does. When you are unsure, check rather than guess.

How this chapter sits in the year

First-year Pharmacy has thirty-two chapters. This is the sixth. It follows “Weights and measurements” and comes before “Pioneers of Homoeopathic Pharmacy”.

It links forward in two directions. Within Pharmacy, it prepares you for “Source of drugs in Homoeopathy” and for “Prescription”, which includes a topic on important abbreviations. Outside Pharmacy, it helps with Materia Medica, where you learn fifty medicines by name. Good naming habits make both subjects easier.

What to take from it

First, learn the basic rules of naming, and practise them on real names.

Second, see how naming changes across drug sources.

Third, for every drug, keep scientific name, common name and synonyms together.

Fourth, expect anomalies. Spell carefully and check when unsure.

Where to go next on the platform

This piece sits in the first-year Homoeopathic Pharmacy room. The chapter before it, “Weights and measurements”, is in the same room. For the fifty names you will meet in Materia Medica, see “Homoeopathic medicines — the fifty names of first year” in the first-year Materia Medica room. For a gentle version of this topic meant for any reader, “How a homoeopathic medicine gets its name” is in the Homoeopathic Pharmacy topic of Homoeopathy Knowledge.

The syllabus sheet names four topics. It does not give the rules or the standard anomalies. This piece explains what each topic asks. The detail comes from your textbook and your teachers.