MEETING OF THE LIVERPOOL CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS. 
427 
bodies that divided authority and competitive standards of examination were not 
conducive to the onward progress of a profession, and that it was desirable that 
union and consolidation should take place, in order that all should advance together. They 
could not carryforward a body of men unless they had the whole of the body in one uni¬ 
versal progress. The progress of an army depended not merely upon the advance of the 
vanguard, tfut in a great measure also upon the progress of its commissariat. The march 
of the Pharmaceutical Society had somewhat exceeded the rate of progress of the chemists 
and druggists, and at the present they were at a pause, because it was said by the Medical 
Council, who had just consolidated themselves into one compact body, that it was very 
desirable that the subject of Pharmacy should be considered, and that, while a very 
great amount of good had resulted to the public from the union of the different medical 
bodies together into one body, represented by the Medical Council, yet nevertheless there 
was one flaw in the general arrangement, and that related to the dispensers of medicines, 
who ought to be provided for under a similar arrangement. Therefore,the Medical Council 
in committee considered this subject, and, after a very considerable amount of deliberation, 
they found that it was not desirable to attach Pharmacy as a branch of the medical 
profession, under control of the Medical Council. That was for a long time a matter in 
discussion with them; but the chemists themselves had said over and over again that 
they were an independent body, and they were not a branch of the medical profession. 
They preferred to be at the head of the profession of pharmacy to be at the tail of the 
profession of medicine. That was their constant point, and in that particular the 
Medical Council had given their approval, and had said, in common with the chemists 
and druggists, that it was better for the public benefit, and for the exercise of the 
medical profession, that pharmacy should take an independent position, rather than that 
it should be such a branch of the medical profession. If they required an example, they 
had it in the history of the apothecaries, who had certain exclusive class privileges as a 
lower branch of the medical profession. They were not satisfied with being in that 
position, and climbed step by step until they got into the position of general medical 
practitioners. It was therefore recommended by a number of the speakers at the 
Medical Council that the matter should be referred either to the Pharmaceutical 
Society, or to some other body appointed by Government. 
There was another branch of the subject which touched upon legislative action in the 
same way, and that was with reference to the unrestricted sale of poisons. Upon that 
subject a committee of the House of Lords had sat and taken evidence, and a Bill was 
brought before Parliament with the intention of restricting the sale of poisons to a 
superiorly educated class of vendors. In consequence of the lapse of office of that govern¬ 
ment that bill was thrown aside, and at present no legislation had taken place with 
reference to the sale of poisons; but still it was a matter which had been thrown upon 
the attention of the Government as one deserving of attentive and careful consideration. 
With respect to that subject, a Government inquiry had been instituted by the Home 
Office of the present Government, and Dr. Taylor had reported in favour of an educational 
standard of qualification on the part of all engaged in the sale of poisons, and made a re¬ 
commendation that the subject should be referred to the Pharmaceutical Society. 
Therefore, from two different points of view, it had been impressed upon not only the 
present Government, but upon former Governments also, that, so far as the medical profes¬ 
sion was concerned, they desired a higher qualification ; and, on the other hand, that it 
was desirable on the part of Government that the sale of poisons should be restricted to 
those who were well qualified to judge of the nature of the medicines which they sold. 
What was wanted was education as a basis of qualification ; a payment in recognition of 
the expenses which were to be incurred in order to obtain legitimate status ; and then it 
was required that that should be indorsed by a legal recognition, and to have, in return 
for that, some kind of diploma or certificate, which should be in the possession of every 
chemist and druggist, indorsed in some way by Government, to show that it was a legal 
recognition. The Council of the Pharmaceutical Society' had been most anxious to 
strengthen their borders as far as possible, to admit volunteers into their society. The 
Pharmaceutical Society was, in the first place, a body of volunteers, and he believed that 
its very strength, its very power, and its moral influence, consisted in the fact that it was 
composed of a body of men who were educationally equal to their position, and who had 
voluntarily united themselves into a body for the protection of those interests which 
were dearest to the trade in general: and that volunteer band had always been willing to 
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