THE NEW YORK JOURNAL OF PHARMACY 



WHAT DOES "TRI-PROFESSION- 

 AL" CO-OPERATION MEAN? 



By Samuel F. Brothers. Ph. G., M. D., 

 Brooklyn, New York City. 



Corresponding Secretar}^, American 

 Medico - Pharmaceutical League ; 

 Member, American Medical Ed- 

 itors' Association, etc., etc. 



(Contributed to the New York Journal 

 of Pharmacy.) 



It seems odd, that among such in- 

 telligent men and women as our allied 

 professions represent, it should be neces- 

 sary — after seventeen years' growth of 

 the American Medico-Pharmaceutical 

 League — to answer the above question. 

 But since the; editor has been kind 

 enough to ask the humble author for a 

 short article on the subject, he will en- 

 deavor to cover the ground briefly, in 

 the limited time at his disposal. 



As stated in a post-graduate lecture 

 before the convention of the American 

 Association of Progressive Medicine, in 

 Poughkeepsie (held on September 2nd 

 to 5th, 1913), medico-pharmaceutical co- 

 operation may be subdivided into "i, 

 scientific ; 2, practical ; 3, material ; 4, 

 social; 5, fraternal; 6, financial; 7, legal; 

 8, political." 



The great scientific advantage in the 

 physician, dentist and pharmacist co- 

 operating, is so apparent and self- 

 evident, that further comment is almost 

 unnecessary. The advantage of the 

 pharmacist having all the materials and 

 supplies convenient for the physician and 

 dentist, is alone sufficient argument in 

 its favor. 



The advantage of practical co-opera- 

 tion, again, is none the less evident. 

 Take up the single subject of the vari- 



able and uncertain dosage of medicines — 

 crude drugs, tinctures, fluid extracts, 

 etc. — and we need go no further. 



Material co-operation may be consid- 

 ered of more immediate importance than 

 the two preceding subdivisions, afifecting, 

 as it does, the home life of the profes- 

 sional man. We might associate with 

 this, all the following subdivisions — 

 social, fraternal, financial, legal and 

 political co-operation. Every medico- 

 professional man or woman, whether 

 physician, dentist or pharmacist, must 

 realize the vital importance to the future 

 welfare of the rank and file, of honest 

 and sincere co-operation, as represented 

 in these various phases. The American 

 Medico-Pharmaceutical League, the first 

 medical association in America to take 

 up this work, appeals to the members of 

 the three allied professions to awaken, 

 before it is too late. 



To show how professional men are 

 deceived, it is remarkable to observe the 

 conduct of some, when approached on 

 the subject. After having been informed 

 that a certain member will vouch for 

 him, if he desires to join, the prospective 

 candidate turns around and insolently 

 quizzes and cross-examines his would- 

 be proposer, as if he were about to con- 

 fer a great favor upon the medical 

 association, by permitting the use of his 

 dignified personality as a member. 

 Others, again, are more modest — they 

 only request some literature, or the per- 

 sonal call of a representative — as if a 

 professional man did not know the char- 

 acter of a medical association. Still 

 others, again, brazenly feign ignorance 

 of its existence. The members of yet 

 another class — the most contemptible of 

 all — put it to the expense and trouble of 



