Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
March,  1907. 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
127 
directly  as  well  as  indirectly,  on  the  several  branches  of  pharmacy 
have  been  discussed  at  length. 
Wholesale  druggists  and  manufacturing  pharmacists  appear  to  be 
heartily  in  favor  of  the  underlying  principles  and  of  the  general 
provisions  of  the  Federal  pure  food  and  drug  law,  despite  the  fact 
that  it  has  imposed  an  enormous  amount  of  additional  work  and 
expense  for  which  they  can  scarcely  expect  to  be  adequately  recom- 
pensed. 
The  proposition  to  endorse  the  Federal  law,  by  corresponding 
laws  in  the  several  States,  has  aroused  considerable  opposition  on 
the  part  of  retail  pharmacists,  who  appear  to  be  either  indifferent 
or  else  fearful  lest  the  additional  obligations  that  would  be  imposed 
on  them  might  be  too  exacting  or  else  involve  an  undue  amount  of 
work  or  expense  to  comply  with. 
In  this  connection  we  should  remember  that  pharmacists,  as  such, 
have  taken  little  or  no  part  in  securing  the  enactment  of  the  Federal 
pure  food  and  drug  law,  and  that,  as  a  consequence,  they  have  thus 
sacrificed  no  little  of  their  professional  independence  and  prestige. 
This  apathy  on  the  part  of  pharmacists  is  even  now  being  taken 
advantage  of  by  members  of  boards  of  health,  Food  and  Dairy 
Commissioners  and  well-meaning  but  frequently  misinformed  re- 
formers who  are  actively  at  work  to  secure  food  and  drug  legislation 
along  the  lines  of  the  National  law. 
In  by  far  the  greater  number  of  State  legislatures,  now  in  session, 
bills  for  laws  of  this  kind  have  been  introduced,  and  whether  enacted 
into  laws  or  not,  will  tend  to  show  the  wants  or  desires  of  retail 
pharmacists,  and,  if  opposed  or  ignored,  will  seriously  reflect  on  the 
ability  and  professional  disinterestedness  of  pharmacists  themselves. 
Retail  pharmacists  should,  and  if  they  desire  to  maintain  their 
standing  in  the  community  they  must,  favor  pure  food  and  drug 
legislation  that  is  designed  to  protect  the  public.  By  themselves 
taking  an  active  interest  in  the  securing  of  legislation  along  these 
lines  they  could  readily  prevent  the  enactment  of  ill-advised  meas- 
ures that  would  tend  to  hamper  or  restrict  them  in  the  pursuance 
of  their  business. 
That  the  medical  profession  in  all  sections  of  the  country  is 
clearly  in  favor  of  pure  food  and  drug  legislation  was  plainly  evi- 
denced at  the  Conference  of  the  Committee  on  Medical  Legislation, 
of  the  American  Medical  Association,  with  the  National  Legislative 
