PH ARM ACE U TICAL JOURNAL. 
SECOND SERIES. 
YOL. VI.—No. VII.—JANUARY 1st, 1865. 
THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION AFFECTING PHARMACY. 
We may be excused for once more returning to a subject which at this moment 
occupies so prominent a place in the miuds of the chemists and druggists of this 
country, and we are encouraged to do so by the very favourable result of the 
appeal that is now being made to the members of the trade in support of the 
proposed new Pharmacy Bill of the Pharmaceutical Society. England stands 
almost alone among the nations of Europe in her previous disregard of the 
educational qualification of dispensers of medicine ; principally perhaps, but 
not wholly, because the spirit of free-trade, or rather free-trading , has long 
been established here as a fundamental principle. None can deny that the ab¬ 
sence of restriction and surveillance has been one great cause of the present 
glory and prosperity of British trade and commerce. Since the early days 
of the “ City Companies or “ Guilds ” as they were originally called (save 
in so far as it was necessary for fiscal purposes) there has been no interference 
with, or protection to traders in general. Each craft in the beginning, and each 
individual as crafts enlarged, had to stand on an individual basis, and the 
wholesome effect of competition best stimulated men to that degree of excel¬ 
lence which is essential to success in trade. 
But individual independence should not be allowed to interfere with public 
safety, and we need scarcely enumerate the instances in which a prohibition is 
exercised where the moral health of the State is likely to be endangered. 
Physical health too has had its share of legislative care. u Cunning men,” 
u Herbalists and 44 Barber-surgeons ” have given place to the physicians, apo¬ 
thecaries, and surgeons of the present day; not perhaps so much by positive 
prohibitory laws as by negative ones, or more still by the advance cf civili¬ 
zation and knowledge. The medical advisers of that day were doubtless as 
far ahead of their fellow-citizens as the Colleges are at this day. Society 
advances, and perfection is ever before us. When the Goldsmiths of Lom¬ 
bard Street sufficed for the monetary transactions of London, the Worshipful 
Company of 44 Pepperers” had charge of die quality of drugs imported into 
England, and there were few separate venders of drugs. Selling medicines 
was not a trade ; the man who sold also prescribed, and hence the Apothecaries 
Act of 1815. Since that time progress has been even more rapid, and we can 
imagine the offended dignity of an L.S.A. of 1865, if called on to dispense a 
physician’s prescription for an unknown customer, much more to sell over his 
counter twopenny worth of jalap, unless indeed he be one keeping an open 
chemist’s shop. 
An apothecary is now a 41 general practitioner,” and as has been stated in this 
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