July 29,1S71-] 
8a 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
Cjie ®|nnnatmtical Journal. 
SATURDAY, JULY 2d, 1S71. 
published in that periodical this week, and it hears the 
signatures of almost all the large respectable chemists in 
London, and many in the country. Thus the opposition 
is narrowed to the limits of the small retail druggists, 
and loses so much of its force that we have reason to 
j believe that it will lack power eventually to defeat the 
reform.” 
Communications for this Journal, and books for review, etc., ^ e cannot perceive the necessity for tin 
Advertisements to Messrs. Churchill, New Burlington 
Street, London, JF. Envelopes indorsed u Pharm, Journ.” 
THE PRESS AND THE PHARMACY BILL. 
While the leading medical journals maintain a 
'discreet silence in reference to the fate of the Phar¬ 
macy Bill, which is at least consistent with the pre- 
•vailing difference of opinion among those to whom it 
•applies more especially, there is one exception to 
tliis course which we cannot omit to notice because 
The Ashton Reporter, in an article on this subject, 
takes the view held by opponents of the Bill, and 
after remarking that the honourable members of her 
Majesty’s Privy Council are not those to whom the 
best method of -storing and dealing with poisons— 
or, as it may be expressed, the best shop-keeping 
arrangements—are very likely to occur, goes on to 
say— 
"O vj J /****w** —o 
u Even the medical department of that body has no prac¬ 
tical acquaintance with the subject. Quito as suitable 
. would it seem for tho chemists of the kingdom to issue 
it appears to be a totally unnecessary and gratuitous regulations for the surgeons or dentists in their difficult 
-attempt to aggravate a contest which is already too operations, or to venture upon a bolder stroke, and give 
-dominant advice to her Majesty’s Privy Councillors upon the dis- 
ri11 j? patch of public business. Notwithstanding the incon- 
Thc journal <.0 v, men v e iciei not long ago an- g-mity, however, Government stood committed to a Bill 
nounced that Mr. Bolster had only to lift his finger which undertook to teach chemists a very elementary, 
to make the Pharmacy Bill law, and at the same though responsible, branch of their business. This 
time predicted tnat lie would do so m spite of every- anJ resiste(1 tl(J t5u , eatened interferoncc . Petitions were 
tiling. To such expressions ol opinion or desire we hastily and numerously signed, and deputations from all 
offer no objection, but we do strongly protest against parts of the country were despatched to confer with 
tsucli perverse misrepresentation and defamatory com-; members <of Parliament in London. A few days can- 
f . „ ,, . , , i vass satisfied the rcsistmg body that the Pharmacy Act 
ments as the ioLovmg, wlieie the same journal ue- nevcr could pass the Commons. Here and there a 
■'dares that tliis Societj T — 
hanger-on by authority attempted to justify the mea¬ 
sure, hut several influential representatives, headed hy 
raacy 
L o VJ - 1 spicuous by bis courtesy and heartiness amongst those 
for it has now to be occided wnethcr the Government, is j w j 10 acc0 mpanied the deputation to the Minister was 
or not. A larger issue than poison-protection is at stake 
able to deal with an opposition dictated, not bp any principle, 
but by self-interest and carelessness for the public interest. 
We never doubted that Parliament will support the Go¬ 
vernment in the effort, and we do not think that the fatuous 
proceedings of tho Society have even the prospect of 
■success to excuse them.” 
The italics are our own, but we abstain from 
■comment on the quotation, since that would involve 
the use of more emphatic terms than we desire to 
appear in these pages, and because we think re- 
publication of the paragraph will alone ensure the 
condemnation it deserves. 
Equally objectionable are the following remarks, 
given editorially in the same journal this week:— 
“Mr. Forster makes rather a poor show just now. 
He talked very loud, and blustered a good deal, and now 
liis superior officer, without hesitation, puts a stop to his 
threatened onslaught. Meanwhile, we are encouraged 
to see that the ‘ Party of Order,’ who have voluntarily 
adopted precautions against poisoning, and don’t wish to 
be slovenly, are coining to the point, and the Pharmaceu¬ 
tical Journal is, after the example of the Times, throwin 
Mr. T. W. Mellor, member for Ashton. He had pre¬ 
sented a petition to Parliament, signed hy every chemist 
in this borough, where chemists are supposed to he 
equally alive to their own and tho public interests ; and 
had placed his services very warmly at the disposal of 
his constituents to frustrate this scheme of surplus legis¬ 
lation. The Minister listened with attention, and pro¬ 
mised further consideration of the measure. Meanwhile 
agitation spread, and members of Parliament were urged 
by petition and remonstrance, as well as by deputation, 
to resist the Bill. The opposition was becoming formid¬ 
able, and the situation somewhat ridiculous. Here was 
the Privy Council trying to arrange the shelves of a 
druggist’s shop. Punch might he on tho look-out for a 
cartoon. Yielding to tho great pressure from without, 
or perhaps awakening to tho consciousness that the 
trained and experienced servants of the public are tho 
host qualified to discharge responsible duties, an amended 
Bill was substituted for tho original. This amended 
Bill, horn in an emergency, survived only a few hours, 
and is already in an advanced state of decomposition. 
The public did not ask for it, and docs not need it. _ Tho 
trade is able to take care of its poisons, and of itself. 
The Government has more legitimate children than it 
__ o can provide for, and certainly members of Parliament, 
out feelers for a change of policy from opposition to especially those of tho opposition, must have perpetiated 
.adhesion. A letter in favour of the amended Bill is a certain deed had not these poor little Bills, bj crou d- 
