Relationships between synthetic dyes and drug entities

Drugs and dyes developed individual characters in the nineteenth century only. Drugs were at first “special foods” used during times of unpleasant symptoms or during illness. Consequently most drugs were vegetable or animal, since mineral technology was undeveloped. The earliest knowledge of dyestuffs was also acquired from the vegetable and animal kingdoms, especially the former. “Red dyestuffs were prepared from kermes, arachil, madder and henna; yellows from safflower, saffron, turmeric and pomegranate; blue from indigo and woad; purple from certain Mediterranean snails. Mordants containing iron, aluminium and copper were in use”. These latter were components of readily available earths.