VoL. ii., No. 6. THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST OP AUSTRALASIA. 
153 
We are inf ormed by the New Zealand Drug Company, Auck- 
land branch, that Mr. Edgar Ward has bought the cheniist s 
business lately carried on by Mr. A. Gr. Hughes, Cambridge, 
Waikato. Mr. Ward is recently from Southland, and a few 
months ago passed the Pharmacy Board examination. 
(from our own correspondent.) 
Christchurch, April 26, 1887. 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL EXAMINATION. 
In the current number of T/ie Chemist andDruggist of Austra- 
lasia, which is now fairly recognised as the Pharmaceutical 
organ of New Zealand, will appear the first Examination 
Paper under the new Board of Examiners. ^ To set an exam- 
ination paper calculated to escape adverse criticism, would not 
be an easy task, and from what we know of the gentlemen 
upon whom that duty and responsibility has devolved, it may 
be unhesitatingly said that criticism, adverse or otherwise, 
would avail absolutely nothing. On looking over back papers, 
the present compare favourably, and are as devoid of what 
have been characterised as “ catch'’ questions as far as can 
be expected. Chemical formulas have not been so fully de- 
manded as hitherto. 
The Practical Pharmacy or Dispensing portion of the Ex- 
amination is worthy of consideration by the Board. _ Some 
more exhaustive method might well be adopted to judge of 
the candidates discretion, when dealing with ambiguous pre- 
scriptions. To dispense a prescription, having all the ingre- 
dients handed to the candidate, is not a difficult matter, nor 
does it allow of the exercise of the candidates judgement, un- 
less recourse be had to the proverbial “ catch.” The real 
object of the Examination should be well kept in view by the 
Examiner, to neither unduly prompt, nor set a trap for 
the unwary candidate, although a candidate at an examination 
is supposed to be ever on his guard. Too much importance 
cannot be placed upon the efficiency of candidates in this por- 
tion of the examination. 
It is intended to form a 
Class of Pharmaceutical Students 
during the winter months, commencing with the study of ele- 
mentary chemistry and physics, to be followed by an advanced 
course of instruction on pharmaceutical chemistry and phar- 
macy. We understand that if sufficient number of entries are 
made the class will commence early in May, under the direc- 
tion of a local pharmaceutical chemist. 
An article appears in one of our local papers on the question 
of dispensing arrangements between doctors and chemists ; it 
will interest your readers to see it reproduced. 
[The article is too long for publication in extensOy but its 
substance is as follows : — 
‘A correspondent complains of an arrangement between 
doctors and dispensing chemists which compels him to pay 
three times as much for his medicine as it is worth. The medical 
man recommends that his prescription shall be taken to some 
specified chemist’s shop. This is not merely because he 
wishes to do that chemist a good turn, but because the chemist 
is at the mercy of the doctor who requires to be paid for tel- 
ling his patients that a particular chemist’s ” carbonate of 
soda and infusion of genetian are better than the carbonate of 
soda and the infusion of gentian blended by any other chem- 
ist in the town.’ 
‘And the terms are high. “The chemist charges the patient 
one shilling for a two-ounce bottle of mixture, and the doctor 
gets eightpence of the shilling. An eight-ounce bottle is^ the 
size specially favoured by the faculty, and the price of it is 
two and sixpence. The half-crown is split up between doctor 
and the chemist this way. The latter gets tenpence as his 
share, and the doctor one and eightpence. In fact the rule is 
one-third to the chemist and two-thirds to the doctor.” ’ 
‘ The correspondent thinks this is imposition, that the doctor 
should be content with the half-guinea paid for his advice, 
and that the chemist should sell the medicine to the public at 
the same price as he would to the doctor. There is liability 
to abuse in ordering more medicine than is really needed for 
the sake of the two-thirds commission. The editor adds that 
he has hitherto looked upon this as unworthy of belief, but 
suggests a remedy.’ 
* “Let our correspondent start a chemist’s shop on his own 
account, and to the dogs throw conventionalities instead of 
physic, and supply instead the soda and infusion of gentian at 
reasonable rates. He would in this way be revenged on the 
doctors, rapidly amass a fortune, and have the consciousness 
of having broken down a monoply and having proved himself 
the greatest benefactor of his day.” ’] 
The general feeling is that this emanates indirectly from 
some troubled pharmacist, who does not receive the support 
of medical practitioners. If this inference be correct, we 
would apologise to the profession in these colonies for the 
disloyalty of our brother pharmacist in attempting to throw 
discredit upon his neighbours. Can any useful purpose be 
served in laying before the readers of a cheap evening paper 
the relation of doctor to chemist. It is gratifying to report 
that, up to the present date, the article referred to has been 
held in silent contempt by the medical practitioner and phar- 
macist. We hope the day is very far distant when the skill 
of a pharmacist is to be valued or estimated in the same 
balances as Carbonate of Soda and Inf. Gentian. Surely 
something beyond the prime cost of the ingredients should be 
taken into consideration when dispensing for the public. 
Dispensing is the professional branch of the pharmacist’s 
duties, and the public are to be educated to recognise it as 
such. It would be as unreasonable to estimate the value of a 
surgical operation by the cost of the blade and handle of the 
amputation knife. The relation of “ doctor and chemist ” in 
the matter of the dispensing of prescriptions chargeable to 
the medical profession is one woHhy of consideration of phar- 
macists as a body. New countries like New Zealand should 
learn from the experience of older ones. In England the 
custom is for medical practitioners to dispense their own 
medicines, I refer to the ordinary practitioner — this has been 
an acknowledged source of grievance to pharmacists being 
deprived of their legitimate duties. It should not be forgotten 
that the Pharmacy Act of Great Britain has the strange 
anomaly of making provision for the registration of medical 
men as chemists without examination — such is the general 
interpretation of clause 23. 
If pharmacists desire a higher rate of remuneration from 
medical practitioners, it can only be accomplished by a united 
and honorable action in fixing a uniform scale for dispensing. 
But one or two points should be kept in view, 
1. It is the pharmacist’s province to dispense, and not the 
medical practitioner’s. 
2. It is also the part of the pharmacist to mutually arrange 
for and retain that dispensing, and not, by any ill-advised 
procedure, to force the practitioner to set up a dispensary or 
chemist’s shop. 
In all these matters the usefulness of a Society of chemists 
could not be over estimated. 
We conclude by reminding the indirect author of the article 
“Doctors and Chemists,” that pharmaceutical ethics are 
better discussed in pharmaceutical Journals, under the editor- 
ship of a pharmacist ready and willing to afford ability and 
experience. 
Amongst “Jubilee” commemorations is the issuing of a 
circular, by a firm supposed to have head quarters further 
South, headed Sands & Co.’s 
. . “Jubilee Rebate Association.” 
The idea is to enter into a compact with tradespeople in 
all branches for a rebate or discount upon all sales made to 
holders of the Association tickets ; in return for which the 
Association will advertise such traders in a broadcast manner. 
We have seen one of these agreement forms — which, by the 
way, was suggestively pencilled in for a discount of 25%. It 
is gratifying to report that the chemists applied to treated the 
suggestion with the amount of contempt it merited. We 
wonder if the Medical Profession have had the opportunity 
offered them of lending themselves to this form of “ Jubilee” 
celebration. 
The Midland Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand 
is the name of the proposed Association of Chemists and 
Druggists resident in the central portion of the colony — 
Canterbury and Westland. 
A meeting of all interested is to be called at an early date 
to ascertain the practicability of the proposal. In addition tO' 
the usual object of such an association, it is proposed to- 
include the terms of a protection or defence association, so 
that the Council may receive matters of trade interest, &c., 
for consideration from the members and associates. This 
departure, it is considered, will add much importance to the 
Association, and tend to excite more interest in it than in a 
