PHARMACY  IN  GREAT  BRITAIN. 
397 
For  several  months  previous  to  March,  1853,  a  committee  of 
Council  was  engaged  in  preparing  a  set  of  by-laws  to  carry  out  the 
provisions  of  the  Pharmacy  Act.  This  duty  called  for  the  wisest 
judgment  of  the  Council,  to  so  work  the  by-laws  that  the  Act  might 
be  rendered  most  effectual.  As  the  by-laws  had  to  be  adopted 
at  the  general  meeting  in  May,  before  their  approval  by  the  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Exchecquer,  Lord  Palmerston,  their  construction 
became  extremely  important,  involving,  as  chief  points,  "  to  fix 
the  rate  of  subscription  and  the  amount  of  fees ;  to  define  the 
duties  of  the  officers  of  the  Society  ;  to  regulate  the  examinations ; 
the  times  and  manner  of  holding  the  meetings,"  &c,  so  as  not  to 
conflict  with  either  the  Charter  or  the  Act.  In  the  discussion  of 
the  by-laws  none  excited  more  interest  and  feeling  than  that  relat- 
ing to  the  payment  of  registration  fees.  As  soon  as  it  was  under- 
stood that  the  standing  of  pharmaceutists  was  to  be  established  by 
a  registration,  the  idea  of  making  it  supercede  membership  occurred, 
and  was  urged  as  an  oversight  in  the  framers  of  the  Act,  which 
could  be  taken  advantage  of  by  all  who  desired  to  avoid  the  annual 
contribution.  Among  those  who  took  this  view,  Mr.  Bastick  and 
Mr.  Dickinson,  editors  of  the  Annals  of  Pharmacy,  were  the  most 
prominent,  and  in  the  columns  of  their  journal  openly  encouraged 
disaffection, declaring  themselves  to  be  the  advocates  of  anumerous 
class  of  country  members.  These  gentlemen  appear  to  have  been 
mistaken  in  their  views,  as  the  charter  grants  the  Society  liberty 
to  regulate  its  acts  by  by-laws.  In  the  by-laws  it  is  made  optional 
with  the  applicant  for  registration  whether  he  pays  the  fuel  fee  and 
is  placed  on  the  perpetual  register,  or  by  paying  an  annual  fee,  is 
put  on  the  annual  register. 
In  accordance  with  previous  notice,  a  stated  general  meeting 
of  the  Society  was  called  for  the  11th  of  May,  to  consider  and 
confirm  the  by-laws  as  elaborated  by  the  Council,  preliminary  to 
their  being  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  State.  When  the  pro- 
position to  read  them  by  sections  was  made,  it  was  negatived,  and 
decided  to  consider  them  as  a  whole.  After  being  read,  it  was 
moved  that  "  the  by-laws  now  read  be  approved  and  confirmed  as 
the  by-laws  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society."  After  much  discus- 
sion of  certain  clauses,  and  various  motions  put  and  lost,  the 
original  motion  of  Mr.  Hooper  was  carried  nem.  con. 
The  by-laws  thus  approved  were  forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of 
