368 
THE AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACY. 
mere vendor of the manufacturer’s products.” In Spain, again, we learn from our 
recent files, pharmacy is reported to be on the downward path. “ Shop after shop 
is being closed, and in some houses the receipts have fallen to one-fourth of what 
they were a short time ago. The decline in legitimate pharmacy is ascribed 
principally to the establishment of military pharmacies, and to the increase of 
quackery and the sale of nostrums' ' 
Our confreres in England have at last become thoroughly awake to the gravity 
of the situation, and at the twenty-third annual meeting of the British Pharma- 
ceutical Conference, the reports of which are just to hand, not only was the 
evil thoroughly discussed, but, better still, definite proposals were made for 
grappling with it. The subject was introduced to the Conference by the presi- 
dent (Mr. Thomas Greenish), from whose address, as we are unable to find 
room for it in gloho , the following extracts dealing therewith will no doubt 
prove of special interest at the present juncture: — 
There is (said Mr. Greenish) an evil growing up in the very midst of us, and 
assuming large proportions, which should be grappled with, I think, by this Associ- 
ation. I will call it “wholesale prescribing for the medical profession,” absolutely 
dictating to that body in what relative proportions a combination of well-known drugs 
should be prescribed. These proprietary preparations, for the most part “factory 
made,” thrust upon the medical profession, and unblushingly advertised, are sapping 
the foundations of true pharmacy, and at the same time depriving the pharmacist of 
the legitimate practice of his calling. 
There can be no desire on the part of the pharmacist to limit the members of 
the medical profession in their choice of remedial agents for the treatment of disease ; 
but that question is not involved in the consideration of this practice. 
Pharmacists are harassed by the demand for these proprietary prescriptions, which 
prescribes take up without thought, and without a second thought thrust aside, their 
unofficial [pharmacopoeia being mainly the advertisement pages of the medical journals. 
It is not the province of the pharmacist to call in question the therapeutic 
value of any medicine, but it does seem to him curious that a spirit, said to be 
distilled from a non-volatile drug, should possess any more medicinal value than 
ordinary spirit in a state of more or less dilution. What advantage can it be to 
therapeutic science to know that a certain compound has been found useful in a 
certain class of diseases if the composition of the medicine be a trade secret? 
The members of the medical profession are largely responsible for the growth of 
this evil. Whilst in their collective capacity they strongly condemn “ nostrums,” yet, 
individually, many daily prescribe them. It is a practice perplexing to every pharmacist 
and derogatory to the medical profession, which justifies the apprehension expressed by 
Dr. Quain in his Harveian oration, that “the art of writing a rational prescription is in 
danger of becoming lost, and may, indeed, have a still more prejudicial influence now 
that the furnishing of gratuitous medical advice is being made the means of pushing the 
Bale of proprietary nostrums.” 
This phase of pharmaceutical business assumes many different forms, and I ask 
you now to determine for your own protection to grapple with this hydra-headed 
monster before the knell of true pharmacy is sounding in your ears. . . . One way 
of doing this will be for us to see that we ourselves meet as far as possible the wants of 
the medical profession. If unofficial preparations of a certain type attain favour with 
the profession, why should we not as soon as possible place ourselves in a position to 
supply them ? If after careful examination of such compounds quasi authoritative formula* 
for their preparation we v e published, that portion of the medical profession which had 
seen such happy results from the use of the “ nostrums ” would, it might be hoped, if the 
formula* were issued by the British Pharmaceutical Conference, be only too glad to 
prescribe them as Mist. Magnesia* et Bismuthi Comp. B.P.C., Ac., and every intelligent 
pharmacist could prepare them in his own pharmacy. 
Mr. Greenish’s remarks, it is almost unnecessary to say, met with warm 
approval from the delegates present, and later on it was resolved, on the motion 
of Mr. Reynolds, of Leeds, seconded by Mr. Atkins, " That in order to secure 
greater uniformity of composition and strength in non-official remedies, and 
also to enable the medical profession to prescribe them with definite knowledge 
of their qualities, and without indicating any particular maker, the British 
Pharmaceutical Conference undertakes the preparation of a formulary of non- 
official remedies. Messrs. Greenish, Groves, Martindale, Dr. Symes, Dr. Thresh, 
