BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 147 
.predecessors. Let us make the best of it, and do all wo can to promote and ensure an 
improvement in every future edition. 
The next subject I have to refer to is one the importance of which to us, as respon¬ 
sible persons in the sale and dispensing of medicines, it is scarcely possible to over¬ 
estimate. It is one so large, complicated, and difficult, that I am quite incompetent 
to lay it before you in that clear and logical matter it requires to impress you fully 
with its importance, and I am inclined to think it would be well for us to endeavour 
to fix on a day for its full and free discussion. At the present time, I will simply 
refer, in as few words as possible, to a recent disastrous case of poisoning at Liverpool, 
and leave the question of the sale of poisons, which arises out of that case, and the 
Report on Public Health, for future discussion. 
The result of the trials on the late ease, the acquittal of the assistant, who is supposed 
to have dispensed the medicine, from the charge of manslaughter, on the score of its 
being a pure misadventure, and the unavoidable compromise with the friends of the 
deceased,—show that every one of us is standing on a mine which may at any moment 
explode, and send us to pecuniary perdition and despair. It matters nothing what 
amount of care and expense has been bestowed on arrangements to secure the public 
from accident; it matters not that the proprietor of an establishment is in no way to 
blame, or that the patient has died through a pure misadventure,—the law requires that 
a jury shall award compensating damages to the injured family. We all know what 
that means to nineteen in twenty of those following the business,—it means utter ruin. 
Allow me to state our case and position in society, as an important branch of what 
is called a liberal profession. In the first place— 
All the responsibilities of professional men' are laid upon chemists, without either 
the dignity or emolument. We are treated as shopkeepers, with profits less than those 
of an ironmonger. 
Rich and poor of all grades do not hesitate to consult them in all sorts of difficul¬ 
ties, and obtain freely and gratuitously that for which a physician or consulting 
chemist would charge a handsome fee. 
That the information thus freely accorded to all is truly valuable is proved by the 
fact of the constancy of the practice, and the needless jealousy of many professional 
men. 
To obtain this amount of public confidence, a large expenditure of means, careful 
observation, energy, study, and integrity of purpose, are required. 
The more extensive the business of a chemist, the greater the responsibility ; but 
not so the profits. 
When the public confidence is secured, it is the interest of the chemist to maintain 
it by all and every means in his power. 
Toremost amongst the means are the obtaining good assistants, and making such 
arrangements in the establishment as shall, as far as practicable, obviate all chances of 
accident, and ensure the detection of errors, and the sources of them. Having done 
this, and exercising constant watchfulness, all that a man can do has been done. 
Proof of successful care is shown in the small number of known errors made by dis¬ 
pensing chemists. 
Thus, a man may dispense 50 prescriptions daily, on an average of 300 days in 
a year, equal to 15,000 prescriptions, each of which will average 10 doses, or 150,000 
doses annually! He goes on thus for many years, and never has the faintest trace of 
an accident arising from any fault or oversight of his own, and for which he rarely 
gets a fair share of credit. But during those years he has probably corrected number¬ 
less errors of prescribers, many of them of no trivial nature; but for this he has no 
credit, professional etiquette requires he should be silent. If the skill and foresight of 
the dispenser were not habitually turned to such contingencies, serious accidents 
would frequently be recorded. Hence, the educated and careful dispenser, in the 
exercise of his skill, tact, and judgment, in avoiding the dangers incidental to his 
grave and responsible duties, is a benefactor to the community, and deserves better 
pay and higher consideration than the world is disposed to give. Let a man, though 
gifted with clear intellect and sound discretion, and possessing a thorough knowledge 
of his business or profession, cannot after all claim exemption from that common im¬ 
perfection of humanity—fallibility, and is not a bit less liable to error than the pro- 
