THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
SECOND SERIES. 
VOL. A^IIL—No. YIII.—FEBRUARY, 18G7. 
PHARAIACEUTICAL LEGISLATION. 
We see no reason to alter the opinion we expressed in our Journal of last 
month as to the desire prevalent among chemists throughout the country to 
settle the vexed question of pharmaceutical legislation, and by an extension of 
the existing Pharmacy Act to incorporate all members of our trade in one So¬ 
ciety ; but possibly we were too sanguine in hoping that the voice of opposition 
would not reappear. The voice has been heard again ; it does not come from 
the Chemists and Druggists who assembled at Manchester in November last, 
and passed resolutions to be forwarded to the Council of the Pharmaceutical 
Society; those gentlemen, as will be seen by a correspondence published in this 
Journal, have not yet received the answer to their communication, but it is the 
voice of the Local Committee of the United Society, through whom that answer 
was sent. 
We find it stated, that the only important difference in the “ suggestions ” 
and the Pharmaceutical Society’s Bill of 1865 is in “ the limitation of the sale of 
^poisons to examined persons^ and exemption from jury service, which were essen^ 
tial j^rinciples of the Bill of the United Society, and approved hy the Select 
Committee of the House of Commons.” 
Touching the exemption from jury service we have only to say, that the 
Committee of the House of Commons never considered, and therefore certainly 
never approved it. But it concerns us more to point out to our readers the 
great difference ignored ; the proposed admission to membership of the Phar¬ 
maceutical Society of all persons on the register of chemists and druggists, who 
may choose to apply for such admission, whether they be registered after exa¬ 
mination, or simply by virtue of the fact of their being in business at such 
time as the proposed Bill may become law. We should caH this a very impor¬ 
tant difference. 
Passing on, we find, “ that according to these ‘suggestions,' every unincorpo^ 
rated chemist must submit either to register as a chemist, or abandon his business.” 
Now seeing that the sixth “ suggestion” specially protects all the rights, not 
only of persons already in business, but also of those who may be assistants to 
chemists at the time of the passing of the Act, this seems rather a peculiar view 
to take on that point. 
“And if he registers,” the paper from which we are quoting continues, “he 
must risk the contingency of being elected as a member by the Pharmaceutical 
Council, before he can enjoy arty privilege or exercise any nght whatever in that 
capacity.” 
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