THE AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACY. 
127 
Journal of Pharmacy has so persistently advocated— they cannot complain that 
their status is regarded with suspicion. That pharmacology is entitled to rank 
with the learned professions is indisputable — but only where the law of the 
land demands of its practitioners an educational and scientific training. 
Surely, then, there should be small need to urge upon them the necessity of 
being up and doing in the promotion of that elevation and uniformity of 
qualification which nothing but co-operation and energetic action can secure, 
when its realisation promises so fruitful a reward as the uplifting of the art 
into a position beyond question, and at once and for all time securing for it 
that unquestionable hall-mark of public esteem — the general admission of its 
claim to be classed among the learned professions. 
THE INTERCOLONIAL PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
By way of preface to a sketch of the proposed proceedings of the Intercolonial 
Pharmaceutical Conference of October next, it is thought appropriate to give a 
resumS of what had previously been done to bring about a meeting of 
delegates from the sister colonies, such as is now imminent, and which has 
long been urgently desired by all enlightened pharmacists. 
The proposal to hold such a Conference first emanated from the Victorian 
Pharmacy Board in February, 1883. In reply to Mr. A. J. Watt, of the Pharmacy 
Board of New South Wales, who had come to Melbourne in reference to the 
interchange of certificates of registration, the Victorian president responded that 
the only point at issue was the educational standard. And he made the 
suggestion that good results to Australasian pharmacy might be expected if a 
Conference of all the boards, including New Zealand, could be brought about. 
Mr. Watt acquiesced in this view, and stated that he was authorised to consent 
to such a Conference on the part of New South Wales. Upon this the secretary of 
the Victorian society (Mr. H. Shillinglaw) at once put himself in communication 
with the Pharmaceutical Society of New South Wales in advocation of the proposal 
stating that he had^ written to representative pharmacists at Wellington, Auckland, 
Christchurch, Dunedin, Brisbane, and Hobart, and requesting an exposition of 
the views of the society addressed as to how the proposed Conference should 
be carried out. This produced a prompt reply from New South Wales, stating that 
the proposition had “ the heartiest approval of all of us, feeling very sanguine that 
great and permanent good to all concerned must inevitably be the result/’ The 
request for information as to the platform to be adopted at the Conference, 
however, was not complied with, and a further communication from the Victorian 
Pharmaceutical Society was answered by the president of the New South Wales 
Society The Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of New South Wales, be 
assured, are quite in accord with your society as to the advisableness of uniformity 
of action being decided upon by the whole of the colonies in Australasia touching 
the educational curriculum, in order that it may be assimilated to that of the kindred 
society of G-reat Britain, as well as in other matters affecting the pharmacist 
generally ; but our council, at the same time, is of opinion that it would be wise to 
defer holding the Conference alluded to by you — say for twelve months — in order 
that, in the interim, time may be afforded to our own and the other societies not 
yet by law established to obtain Acts by and through which a legal status will be 
established. The Victorian body, however, despatched letters to the various societies 
of the colonies recommending the question of the Conference to their earnest and 
favourable consideration. And the communication from the New South Wales society 
was replied to, urging that the Conference should be held before any of the pro- 
