PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY. 
456 
Abraham, who had advocated the question on free-trade principles, had for¬ 
gotten to state that whilst there was nothing to prevent a man from practis¬ 
ing medicine, he could not use a title so as to mislead the public, but that if 
he did use a title, he must be first registered under the provisions of the Medi¬ 
cal Act. He could not recover his fees without being registered, and if he 
committed a blunder he was dealt with more leniently than the non-registered 
man; in fact, there must be the grossest neglect or absolute neglect or wrong 
on the part of the qualified practitioner to get him convicted. How if they could 
obtain an Act which confined the dispensing of medicines to Pharmaceutical 
Chemists, giving them the same privilege with regard to many matters that 
were possessed by the medical profession, he thought they might not fear 
what any other body of chemists and druggists could do. On those grounds 
he was disposed not only to encourage but to stimulate the Council to go for 
an amended Pharmacy Act. 
Mr. Geo. Edwards said it was necessary before they went to the vote that 
they should understand exactly what they were about to do. Did the meeting 
understand the resolution as pledging them to the necessity of their seek¬ 
ing for a compulsory examination P Matters of great importance and well 
worthy the consideration of the Society had been introduced into the discus¬ 
sion ; but as that was not the object for which the meeting had been called, 
he must beg they would not suppose that the suggestions which had been 
thrown out w r ere binding on the Council because they did not then controvert 
them. He wished it to be distinctly understood, that by agreeing to the reso¬ 
lution the meeting was in favour of the adoption of a compulsory examination. 
The President then again read the resolution, and said that although the 
word ‘ compulsory’ was not in it, yet the purport and meaning of it was that 
the meeting, by adopting it, committed themselves to the principle of com¬ 
pulsory examination. 
After some further discussion on this point, the word ‘compulsory’ was 
introduced, in order that there might be no mistake about the matter. 
Mr. Dickinson said he had attended the meeting for the purpose of hear¬ 
ing if any arguments could be used showing that it was imperatively neces¬ 
sary that they should make the proposed change, but he must confess that 
the various speakers had failed in doing so. He had determined not to vote 
upon the question, and that being so, he considered it was his duty to offer 
some remarks to the meeting in explanation of that determination. Although 
he had not attended their meetings lately, he had always felt the greatest in¬ 
terest in the Society’s welfare, and he was as anxious to see it prosper as any 
one. He wanted to know of those who were foremost in this movement, 
what had caused such a sudden change in their views.. They were a body of 
Pharmaceutical Chemists, and as such they had no occasion to take any 
notice of anything that was done outside by any other body, especially the 
United Society. He had been suggesting motives in his own mind, and h'e 
had been listening to the observations of the various speakers for this great 
revolution in opinion, but he had not been able to arrive at a satisfactory 
conclusion for it in his own mind, nor had he heard any conclusive argu¬ 
ments advanced for it by others. Some speakers considered that the clause 
in the Jury Act had stirred up the United Society. Ho doubt it had, for it 
was a real tangible privilege which was confined to those who passed an exa¬ 
mination, and they wished to participate in it. They were a select body, 
thinking and acting for themselves, and he deprecated their throwing away 
any of those advantages which they possessed, to any considerable extent. 
They had all private motives for what they did, and he believed it was not 
in human nature for them to do so. He should be sorry to vote in favour 
of their spending any portion of their accumulation in the extension of the 
