Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1910. 
J      U.  S.  Pharmac  op  octal  Convention.  279 
Jersey  presented  the  following  code  of  ex  cathedra  rules  formulated 
by  Dr.  Henry  L.  Coit  of  Newark,  N.  J.  which  was  referred  to 
the  General  Committee  of  Revision  and  Board  of  Trustees. 
Ethical  Rules  for  the  Guidance  of  Physicians  and  Pharmacists  in 
their  Relations  with  One  Another. 
Propositions. 
First. — Ethical  principles  or  standards  of  right  conduct  exist,  irrespective 
of  their  formulation  or  codification. 
Second. — Ethical  rules  are  calculated  to  elevate  standards  of  moral 
conduct  and  to  foster  a  spirit  of  harmony  between  professional  men. 
Third.— A  code  of  ethics  is  designed  not  only  for  the  restraint  of  those 
who  are  actuated  by  unworthy  motives,  but  for  the  guidance  of  those, 
also,  who  seek  to  be  governed  in  their  actions  by  high  and  true  principles. 
The  Duties  of  the  Physician  to  the  Pharmacist. 
First. — The  physician  has  no  moral  right  to  discriminate  in  favor 
of  one  pharmacist  to  the  detriment  of  another,  except  for  dishonesty,  in- 
competency or  unscientific  methods  of  work. 
Second. — The  physician  is  never  justified  in  receiving  from  a  pharmacist 
gratuities  in  return  for  patronage ;  in  depositing  secret  formulas  with  an 
individual  pharmacist,  or  by  word  or  deed  to  jeopardize  his  professional 
reputation. 
Third. — The  physician  may  sometimes  find  it  an  advantage  to  the 
patient  to  dispense  the  medicine ;  yet  in  the  main  it  must  be  regarded  as 
a  subterfuge  and  a  hindrance  to  all  interests  involved.  The  physician 
should,  if  practicable  avail  himself  of  the  superior  technical  skill  of  a 
trained  pharmacist  in  the  preparation  and  dispensing  of  medicines. 
Duties  of  the  Pharmacist  to  the  Physician. 
Fourth. — The  pharmacist  who  recommends  drugs  or  medicines  for 
specific  remedial  purposes  either  directly  or  through  the  avenues  of  adver- 
tisement thereby  exceeds  the  limits  of  his  profession  and  commits  an  act 
unworthy  of  his  calling. 
Fifth. — The  pharmacist  who  consents  to  diagnose  disease  or  prescribe 
for  patients  except  where  emergencies  arise,  without  a  proper  medical  train- 
ing, assumes  responsibilities  for  which  he  is  not  qualified  and  justly  incurs 
the  disapproval  of  physicians. 
Sixth. — The  pharmacist  transgresses  his  true  province  when  for  com- 
mercial purposes  he  issues  to  physicians  printed  matter  setting  forth  the 
therapeutic  indications  for  the  use  of  drugs  or  medicinal  preparations.  The 
constituents  of  a  drug  or  compound  together  with  its  chemical  and  physical 
properties  should  be  a  sufficient  guarantee  of  its  utility. 
