90  Pharmaceidical  Colleges  and  Associations.  (^'"'/e'lr'iSr™" 
The  corainittee  appointed  to  meet  in  conference  a  committee  of  the 
County  Medical  Society,  by  request  of  said  committee  of  tlie  County  Med- 
ical Society,  to  discuss  some  plan  of  proceeding  to  regulate  the  evil  claimed 
to  exist  in  reference  to,  1st,  "  the  renewal  of  physicians'  prescriptions;''  2d^ 
"  prescribing  by  druggists  "  ;  3d,  "  the  sale  of  proprietary  medicines  "  ;  4th, 
"  ordering  by  physicians  of  special  formulas  ;  "  5th,  "  the  adoption  of  such 
additions  to  the  medical  and  pharmaceutical  codes  of  ethics  now  existing 
as  will  tend  to  advance  the  professional  rights  of  the  physician  and  pharma- 
cist in  Philadelphia,  and  maintain  mutual  respect  and  consideration  of  the 
two  professions  witliout  ignoring  the  short-comings  of  either" — 
Respectfully  report  that  a  meeting  of  the  two  committees  was  held  at 
the  rooms  of  the  County  Medical  Society,  Dec.  10th  last. 
After  a  general  discussion  embracing  the  merits  of  the  whole  subject,  the 
divisions  of  the  subject,  as  detailed  above,  were  taken  up  seriatim. 
It  was  the  general  impression  regarding  the  vexed  question  of  oivnership 
in  a  prescription,  that  the  decision  of  a  case  by  a  court  of  competent  juris- 
diction could  alone  settle  the  question  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned  ; 
but  that,  in  the  absence  of  a  statute  law  on  the  subject  in  Pennsylvania, 
the  long-continued  custom  of  regarding  the  prescription  as  the  property  of 
the  patient  could  not  be  disregarded.  It  was  also  brought  to  the  notice  of 
the  medical  profession  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  prevent  the  holder  of  a 
prescription  from  obtaining  a  copy  of  the  same,  and  that  a  'reneival  of  the 
prescrij)tion  could  not  be  prevented  by  a  decision  of  ownership  adverse  to 
the  holder  of  the  original.  It  was  therefore  the  judgment  of  the  joint 
committee  that  when  physicians  desired  their  prescriptions  not  to  be 
renewed  they  should  make  such  a  request  on  the  prescription,  and,  if 
printed,  to  sign  their  name  under  the  printed  form,  to  give  greater  weight 
to  the  request. 
It  was  also  the  judgment  of  the  committee  that  physicians  should 
instruct  their  patients  regarding  the  evils  wliich  sometimes  occur  in  conse- 
quence of  continuing  a  prescription  beyond  the  time  intended,  without 
further  medical  advice  being  obtained, 
"  Prescribing  by  druggists,"  excej^t  in  cases  of  trivial  ailments,  or  wiiere 
the  necessity  of  the  case  demanded  relief  before  a  physician  could  be  called,, 
was  unanimously  condemned.  The  code  of  ethics  of  the  Philadelphia  Col- 
lege of  Phannacy  on  this  subject  was  read,  and,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
committee,  covered  acceptably  the  question.    The  code  is  as  follows  : 
"  Sec.  "id.  As  the  diagnosis  and  treatment  of  disease  belong  to  the  i^ro- 
vince  of  a  distinct  profession,  and  as  a  pharmaceutical  education  does  not 
qualify  the  graduate  for  these  responsible  offices,  we  should,  where  it  is 
practicable,  refer  applicants  for  medical  aid  to  a  regular  phj^sician." 
"The  sale  of  proprietary  medicines."  Here,  also,  the  code  of  ethics  of 
the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  was  found  to  be  satisfactory,  as 
follows : 
''Whilst  the  College  does  not  feel  at  present  authorized  to  require  its 
members  to  abandon  the  sale  of  secret  or  quack  medicines,  it  earnestly 
recommends  the  propriety  of  discouraging  their  employment,  when  called 
upon  for  an  opinion  as  to  their  merits." 
"  The  ordering  by  physicians  of  special  formulas."  The  practice  of  writ- 
ing prescriptions  so  as  to  be  understood  by  some  one  or  two  pharmacists 
alone  was  stated  to  be  a  violation  of  the  ethics  of  the  County  Medical  Soci- 
ety, and  was  condemned  as  unprofessional. 
The  committee  agreed  to  recommend  to  the  County  Medical  Society  and 
to  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacj^  that  greater  publicity  among 
physicians  and  pharmacists  should  be  given  to  the  codes  of  ethics  of  both 
of  these  bodies,  as  tending  the  better  to  define  the  position  of  the  two  pro- 
fessions to  each  other. 
The  meeting  was  marked  by  a  pleasant  cordiality  of  feeling,  and  a 
nuitual  desire  for  a  full  recognition  of  the  rights  of  each  profession,  and 
the  maintenance  of  a  nuitual  respect  and  consideration. 
