PIIARMACKUTICAL ETHICS. 
191 
Mr. Brady said, his name having been mentioned once or twice in Mr. Ince’s paper, 
he felt bound to say a few words in connection with the subject. He was exceedingly 
glad to hear Mr. Ince’s remarks upon the practice of calling their places of business 
“shops.” The word “pharmacy” was obviously the right term, and if tliey wished it 
to be adopted they must instruct the public in it. As long as they called their esta¬ 
blishments shops, so long would the public call them so, and so long would they be shop¬ 
keepers. Now, it was all very well to say, “ What’s in a name ?” There was a great 
deal sometimes in a name. A story to the point was told by Holmes, an American 
writer, who, being a musician, was called upon on one occasion to listen to a performance 
upon a great organ. After a little time the organist turned round to him, and said, 
“ There! what do you think of that stop “ Well,” replied Holmes, “ what do you 
call it?”—“What do you think of it? I asked you,” returned the organist. “ What’s in 
a name ?”—“ I tell you there is a great deal in a name,” said Holmes. “ If you call 
that stop a railway whistle, it is exceedingly mild and pleasant; but if you call it a vox 
humana, it’s an awful thing.” Therefore there was something in a name ; but he re¬ 
peated that the change in the nomenclature of their establishments must rest with them¬ 
selves. There was one other point connected with “ the ethics of the shop ” to which 
he wished to allude, and that was the long hours. He believed a great deal was in the 
hands of pharmaceutists themselves. He knew from his experience that circumstances 
varied so much in different localities that no absolute rule could be laid down ; but the 
same spirit could be observed, and he was quite sure that those who shortened their 
hours of business would feel it a real advantage ; it would be an immense advantage to 
their staff, and an unspeakable advantage to the pharmaceutist himself. He would 
very strenuously urge that pharmaceutists should not look at it as what it might 
appear at the moment, viz. an obvious loss, for it did not in the long-run turn out a dis¬ 
advantage,—at least, that was his experience. Don’t let them wait to see what their 
neighbours would do, for the force of their example would go very far to secure the 
object they had in view; and he was sure, if the change was conducted with reason, the 
pharmaceutists would find themselves very little, if anything, out of pocket; and that, 
on the other hand, it was productive of everything that was good. There were one or 
two other matters to which he might allude in connection with the subject before them. 
The first was the Virgil and Euclid question. In writing to Mr. luce, he did not for a 
moment suppose that any remarks of his would be considered of sufficient importance 
to be inserted in his admirable paper; but, at the same time, he was strongly impressed 
that too much attention could not be given to the preliminary education of apprentices. 
If-they took a youth into the business simply with the view to set him up in the posi¬ 
tion of a chemist and druggist,—which was generally supposed to carry a little capital, 
and, without asking him any questions as to his previous attainments, he looked upon it 
that they were doing a direct injury to the whole profession. For himself, he thought 
the time was coming when they should look upon Virgil and Euclid as the standard of 
education; but he did not intend at that moment to lay down any positive test, he 
wished simply to draw their attention to the fact how essentially necessary was the pre¬ 
vious thoroughly good education of the young man. Another question deserving of 
their consideration was that of a universal tariff. There were probably many difficulties 
in the way of the adoption of the scheme, even if it were desirable; but he must confess 
to holding opinions on this question little different to those of Mr. Ince’s. Now, in 
Edinburgh, the system of a local tariff had answered admirably. Fie knew how conve¬ 
nient the little price-book periodically issued from that place had been to himself in 
business ; but, at the same time, he should not bind himself to its standard, especially in 
cases of dispensing. It was simply a trade standard, and not in any way a professional 
standard. If there was any department in which a professional standard might be in¬ 
troduced, it was that one, on which the largest amount of previous education had been 
brought to bear. That would, however, in all probability, be infinitely better done by 
the leading chemists of any district than through a general or national body. He could 
not, at the same time, quite overlook the desirability of having something like official 
sanction; but altogether, under present circumstances, he thought it was not likely that 
an attempt to establish a universal tariff would succeed. He could readily believe that 
in London no such standard could possibly be set up, as there the variation of circum¬ 
stances was infinitely greater than in any other districts. Addressing h im self to another 
point raised in the paper, he said he entirely agreed with Mr. Ince, that the medical 
