The British Pharmaceutical Codex (BPC) was first published in 1907, to supplement the British Pharmacopoeia which although extensive, did not cover all the medicinal items that a pharmacist might require in daily work. Other books existed, such as Squire's, but the BPC was intended to be official, published by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (PSGB). It laid down standards for the composition of medicines and surgical dressings.