THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
SECOND SERIES. 
VOL. VII.—No. I.—JULY 1st, 18G5. 
THE PHARMACY BILLS. 
The Select Committee on the Pharmacy Bills have completed their work and 
reported to the House. There is to be no legislation on pharmacy this Session, 
and, as the Committee think, there should be no legislation at all in the direc¬ 
tion in which we had suggested it. 
In our last number we stated what the conclusions were to which the Com¬ 
mittee had then arrived, and we expressed the opinion that although the first 
resolution of the Committee would necessarily render imperfect the accomplish¬ 
ment of what we were seeking, there was still room to hope that something 
beneficial might be accomplished: at the same time we expressed our doubts 
whether anything worth accepting would emanate from that source. 
After deciding that compulsory registration should not be required from per¬ 
sons now carrying on the trade of chemists and druggists, and that examination 
and registration in future should be made to apply only to those engaged in the 
sale of dangerous drugs, of which a schedule should be provided, the Committee 
finding that the provisions of Bill No. 1 did not in any way accord with these 
objects, proceeded to consider the provisions of Bill No. 2. They did not, how¬ 
ever, take any evidence with reference to this part of the subject, but appear to 
have merely considered how far Bill No. 2 would serve to carry out what they 
had decided on recommending. 
In the first two or three clauses, which merely define the title of the Act, the 
time at which it should come into force, and the necessity for a council to carry 
it into operation, there was nothing found that appeared to present any diffi¬ 
culty ; but then came the clauses relating to the election of the proposed coun¬ 
cil, and here, the Committee say, “considerable difficulty arose,” upon which 
they relinquished the task in despair. 
The ultimate conclusion to which the Committee came was, that it was not 
expedient to proceed further with either of the Bills which had been committed 
to them, but that the Government be recommended to bring in a Bill early in 
the new Parliament on the subjects referred to the Committee. 
It thus appears that after all the exertions that have been made in endeavour¬ 
ing to obtain further legislation with reference to pharmacy, we are left for the 
present without any practical result. We must still look to the future, and 
prepare for renewed efforts in a new Parliament. We do not think that our 
cause has been weakened by any thing that has been done, or that there is 
reason to despair of ultimate success. On the contrary we shall be able to ap¬ 
peal to the statements that have been made in and out of Parliament, to the 
evidence that has been given before the Committee, to the recommendation of 
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