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where it is practicable, refer applicants for medical aid to a regular 

 physician. 



3d. As the practice of Pharmacy can only become uniform, by an 

 open and candid intercourse being kept up between apothecaries, 

 which will lead them to discountenance the use of secret formulae, 

 and promote the general use and knowledge of good practice, and as 

 this College considers that any discovery which is useful in alleviat- 

 ing human suffering, or in restoring the diseased to health, should be 

 made public for the good of humanity and the general advancement 

 of the healing art, — no member of this College should originate or 

 prepare a medicine, the composition of which is concealed from other 

 members, or from regular physicians. 



"Whilst the College does not at present feel authorized to require 

 its members to abandon the sale of secret or quack medicines, they 

 earnestly recommend the propriety of discouraging their employ- 

 ment, when called upon for an opinion as to their merits. 



4th. The apothecary should be remunerated by the public for his 

 knowledge and skill, and in his charges should be regulated by the 

 time consumed in preparation, as well as by the value of the article 

 sold; although location and other circumstances necessarily affect 

 the rate of charges at different establishments, no apothecary should 

 intentionally undersell his neighbours with a view to their injury. 



5th. As medical men occasionally commit errors in the phrase- 

 ology of their prescriptions, which may or may not involve ill con- 

 sequences to the patient if dispensed, and be injurious to the charac- 

 ter of the practitioner, it is held to be the duty of the apothecary, in 

 such cases, to have the corrections made, if possible, without the 

 knowledge of the patient, so that the physician may be screened from 

 censure. When the errors are of such a character as not to be ap- 

 parent, without the knowledge of circumstances beyond the reach of 

 the apothecary, we hold him to be blameless in case of ill conse- 

 quences, the prescription being his guarantee, the original of which 

 should always be retained by the apothecary. 



6th. Apothecaries are likewise liable to commit errors in com- 

 pounding prescriptions, — first, from the imperfect hand-writing of 

 the physician ; secondly, owing to the various synonyms of drugs in 

 use, and their imperfect abbreviation; thirdly, from the confusion 



