May 27,18,'l.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
953 
Mr. Abraham (Liverpool): I am satisfied, Sir, that the 
amendment which has been moved is perfectly in order. 
It is upon the main question whether these regulations 
should he compulsory or not. I beg to say that there 
is not a member of the Society who would have been 
more glad than myself to have adopted them as recom¬ 
mendations only, provided we could honourably do so: 
but I think it has been shown clearly by Mr. Giles’s 
statement, to every man in this room, that as mem¬ 
bers of the Pharmaceutical Society, we are bound 
to pass these regulations. Not because we like them, 
by any means, but because the Legislature has im¬ 
posed upon us the duty of making regulations. And I 
beg to say that although I seconded Mr. Dymond’s mo¬ 
tion to bring this matter before you in the way in which 
it has now been done by the Council, it was simply to 
enable you to do the next best thing to doing the right 
thing. I believe it is our duty to pass these regulations 
in the sense in which they were contemplated by Par¬ 
liament ; and although as a member of the Council I 
seconded the motion that they should be framed so as to 
enable you to pass them as recommendations only, as I 
think that would be better than rejecting them altoge¬ 
ther, yet standing here as a member of the whole body, 
who only have the authority to make these regulations, 
subject to the confirmation of the Privy Council, I cannot 
but raise my voice in favour of the amendment which 
has been moved by Mr. Giles. And I must remind you 
that it was the opinion of a large majority of the Council 
that they ought to be passed in the sense in which they 
were originally proposed. The proceedings of the 
Council are not now known to you only from the state¬ 
ment of the President, or from the resolution which has 
been laid before you. The proceedings of the Council 
have been published from month to month in the Jour¬ 
nal, and you know that the Council think you ought to 
pass these as regulations. It is only a small minority of 
the Council who hold a different opinion, and I believe 
most or all of them were not members of Council at the 
time the Act passed. It is only with them that there is 
any difference of opinion as to our duty in the matter; and 
although I desire to make these regulations as little bur¬ 
densome as possible,—and I do not think they ought to be 
adopted if they are at all burdensome, or if it could be 
shown that there would bo any difficulty in observing 
them in any shop in the kingdom,—to refuse to pass any 
regulations at all is distinctly to set aside the vote of 
Parliament, and is, I am assured, perilling the interests 
of the Society and of every member of the body. 
Mr. Brown : The question before the meeting is not 
whether the regulations should be compulsory or not, 
but whether this meeting will adopt certain recommenda¬ 
tions which are submitted by the Council. 
Mr. Vizer: In support of what Mr. Brown has just 
said, I maintain that if an amendment of this nature be 
laid before the meeting, it is one of the most unheard-of 
and unprincipled acts which can be conceived. I repeat 
it. It is an unheard-of and unjust act. This meeting 
has been called together in tho ordinary way as an an¬ 
nual meeting; the recommendations have been issued to 
every member with the one distinct idea that they were 
to be brought forward by the Council as recommenda¬ 
tions only. And I beg leave to say that if that view of 
the case is altered, it is most dishonourable on the part 
of the Council. This meeting has been called to decide 
the question whether we shall receive these as recom¬ 
mendations, and hundreds of members have absented 
themselves from this meeting on the distinct understand¬ 
ing that they were to be put forward simply as recom¬ 
mendations. I do assert most emphatically that if an 
amendment of this nature is allowed, it is a most dis¬ 
creditable act. The Council, as a body, ought to protest 
against it. But I sincerely trust that the meeting will 
not be detained over the argument on compulsory regu¬ 
lations, but that a division will be speedily come to, and 
I am convinced that 90 out of 100 will vote against it. 
It is an unheard-of thing to waste our time discussing 
such a question, and the sooner we come to a vote upon 
it the better. 
Mr. Urwick: I wish to make a few observations on 
these recommendations, but in the first place I do feel 
that we should be committing a most dishonourable act 
if we are parties to any vote which is to be compulsory, 
when the notice sent to the country members and dis¬ 
tributed throughout the kingdom had only recognized 
these as recommendations. It would be taking an ad¬ 
vantage of the country members to entertain such a 
question, and I therefore protest against the amendment, 
and call upon the Chairman to enter my protest. 
Mr. Edward Burden : May I ask if the Chairman has 
ruled that the amendment is in order, or not P 
The Chairman : Yes, I have ruled that the amend¬ 
ment is in order. It is competent for any member to 
move an amendment to any motion that may be brought 
forward. 
Mr. Humpage : It appears to me that it is no use my 
coming here and arguing, if I have sent up my paper 
pledging myself to a certain course. I conceive that 
these papers have been sent up believing that such-and- 
such a course would be adopted, and that these rules 
would be passed as recommendations. But I also ought 
to be aware that if at this annual meeting the members 
present should think otherwise, and any gentleman 
should choose to make an amendment, and a different 
view is afterwards taken, when argument has been 
gone into, it is perfectly regular to vote for such an 
amendment. We surely cannot tell our friends in the 
country what will take place at a meeting like this. If 
they are so much interested in it, let them come up, and 
then they will be ready to vote; but if we can do no¬ 
thing, what is the use of coming here and discussing tho 
question. 
Mr. Urwick : Can we make rules binding the body 
of members, the body not having notice of those rules P 
Mr. Hampson (Manchester): If it is thought desirable 
to deceive and disgust the whole trade, now is the time, 
by means of this amendment. You want the outsiders to 
come in, and by the course of action now proposed you 
thrust them out. The amendment may be in perfect 
order—I do not pass any opinion upon that—but tho 
consequences of the amendment, if carried, will be to sow a 
whirlwind in the country that you will not see the la t 
of for some time. I have had some means of judging of 
the spirit of opposition to compulsory regulations, and I 
can assure you that if you wish to advance the interests of 
pharmacy, or even to advance the interests of this Society, 
you will not vote in favour of the amendment. This 
amendment will plainly show the outsiders, many of 
whom I conceive are quite equal in capacity to ourselves, 
what they may expect from the unscrupulous adherents 
of compulsion, and you will likewise arouse a spirit 
amongst them that will not easily be set at rest. You 
will shut the doors against them, and sow discord through¬ 
out the country. I should like to say a few words on 
the general question. The word “honour” has been put 
forward in this discussion, and freely reiterated, and wo 
are told that if we do not vote in a particular way wo 
shall be dishonoured. I maintain that nothing of tho 
sort follows as a consequence ; that if certain gentlemen 
who were in high office at the time had the power through 
their fortuitous position to carry the Pharmacy Act 
through Parliament, they did not ask the opinion of the 
country about it, and you must also remember that we 
are not only legislating for the few in this room,—be¬ 
cause, properly speaking, it is legislation we are about, 
—not merely for pharmaceutical chemists, but for the 
entire trade throughout the country, numbering many 
thousands. 
Mr. Macicay : I desire to say one or two words upon 
this point. I have been listening very calmly to what 
has been going on, and have heard tho word “honour” 
used repeatedly, and perhaps advisedly; but that word 
