THE RELATION OF REMUNERATION TO RESPONSIBILITY. 161 
to be present at the Norwich Conference, but being unwilling to be altogether 
shut out of the discussion which will no doubt take place upon these and 
similar topics, I venture to send an epitome of my opinions in the following 
remarks. 
U p to the present time British pharmacy has occupied a very dubious 
position. This has at last been recognized by the Legislature, who have been 
induced, after much unsuccessful pressure, to provide a remedy by defining 
the qualification which shall be required from all pharmaceutists and protect¬ 
ing them from the aggression of unqualified competitors. 
This is anew state of things ; and it concerns us much to form a right esti¬ 
mate of our privileges and responsibilities under the new regime, not forget¬ 
ting that the two are reciprocally associated. Hitherto the reciprocity has 
been altogether one-sided! the public insisting peremptorily enough upon 
our responsibilities (demanding, indeed, an infallibility, which is not human), 
but privileges had we none ! The external relations of pharmacy have, there¬ 
fore, been anything but satisfactory to us, nor do I think that they have 
proved advantageous, to the public ; for although there are many amongst us 
who recognize and conscientiously fulfil the highest requirements of our 
calling, we dare not assert that pharmacy is well represented in the practice 
of the majority. 
Pharmacy lias, in fact, struggled against unfavourable conditions, and we 
need not be surprised if under these conditions it has not risen to the level 
of its theoretical standard. From this cause I venture to think that all its 
existing anomalies have proceeded ; but we may hope that the end of these 
things is approaching, and that a time is coming when pharmacy will have a 
fair field for its development, amongst a body of practitioners universally in¬ 
fluenced by a feeling of professional responsibility. 
Granted that “pharmacy is a trade,” it is nevertheless a trade with ex¬ 
ceptional responsibilities, and demanding exceptional qualifications, which 
take it out of the category of ordinary trades. It is, in the first place, in¬ 
cumbent upon pharmaceutists to fulfil these requirements, which again have 
their correlative claims for recognition upon the public in whose service they 
are rendered. We have lately seen these claims urged with considerable 
force in the public journals, and it appears that there is a disposition at the 
present time to give them favourable consideration. I am not so sure 
that there is not a little danger of pushing them too far, and of some¬ 
what overlooking or taking for granted the obligations upon which alone 
they can be fairly rested. The question of remuneration is most important, 
and there is nothing undignified or unprofessional in discussing the subject 
of prices; but we should make a fatal mistake if we attempted or desired to 
regulate the form in which medicines are prescribed, with the object of in¬ 
creasing our own profits. This would be in effect to assume that the sick 
were made for the chemist, and not the chemist for the sick. The only consi¬ 
deration which ought to weigh in this matter is the convenience and advantage 
of the patient, and I hope that if other views have appeared to be enter¬ 
tained they will be promptly disavowed by the intelligence of the trade. It 
is, in my opinion, absurd to think of reverting to the old system of draughts, 
or to expect that medicines shall be prescribed in four or six part bottles, to 
the exclusion of doses by the tablespoon, teaspoon, or by drops, to be diluted 
when administered at home. There are many good reasons for the adoption 
of these forms independent of economy to the patient, which is in itself a 
good reason. If to dispense such medicines is not remunerative, the fault is 
our own, for we have it in our power to charge a remunerative price ; and 
this brings us to the question of prices, which it is fairly within our province 
to discuss. I cannot think that the present average prices for dispensing are 
VOL. x. M 
