AmjJu^-19p0?arm-}        American  Medical  Association.  331 
criticisms  heard  on  various  occasions  of  the  shortcomings  of  retail 
druggists  and  the  general  inefficiency  of  persons  who  are  at  present 
posing  as  pharmacists. 
Apart  from  the  strictures  embodied  in  the  opening  address  by 
President  Bryant,  and  repeatedly  voiced  by  others  in  the  discussion 
of  various  papers,  the  general  trend  of  the  more  evident  complaint 
is  perhaps  best  illustrated  by  the  following  extract  from  the  annual 
report  of  the  committee  on  organization,  read  by  the  chairman,  Dr. 
J.  N.  McCormack,  of  Bowling  Green,  Ky. 
In  speaking  of  the  covert  as  well  as  direct  opposition  to  the  work 
of  the  Association  that  is  being  fostered  by  the  manufacturers  of 
secret  or  proprietary  medicines,  Dr.  McCormack  said  : — 
"  While  these  misrepresentations  have  done  so  little  harm  with  the  member- 
ship, I  am  convinced  that  they  have  kept  many  from  joining  the  societies,  and 
have  crippled  our  usefulness  in  many  other  ways.  As  one  evidence  of  this, 
they  have  arrayed  the  retail  druggists  against  us  almost  solidly  in  most  States. 
At  every  capital  visited  I  have  found  a  strong  force  of  drug  men  working  under 
the  direction  of  expert  lobbyists  representing  the  National  Association  of 
Retail  Druggists,  backed  by  the  proprietary  interests,  against  the  legislation 
proposed  by  the  profession  in  the  interest  of  pure  food  and  drugs,  with  all  of 
their  expense  borne  by  that  body. 
"  In  every  instance  an  attempt  was  being  systematically  and  often  success- 
fully made  to  confuse  the  minds  of  legislators  by  the  introduction  of  decoy 
bills  prepared  b}'  their  central  bureau,  but  cunningly  altered  as  to  wording  in 
the  various  States  to  hide  their  common  origin.  It  was  found  in  every  instance 
that  legislators  were  literally  inundated  by  letters  and  telegrams  from  their 
drug  and  newspaper  constituents  in  the  interest  of  these  now  fully  exposed  and 
recognized  frauds.  As  a  real  friend  of  the  pharmacists,  one  who  has  always 
been  wedded  to  the  prescription  method  of  dispensing,  the  discovery  of  this 
almost  universal  ascendancy  of  the  quack  interests  over  this  trade  was  a  pain- 
ful one.  It  evidently  means  that  we  have  come  to  the  parting  of  the  ways 
with  the  druggists,  and  must  arrange  to  dispense  for  ourselves,  as  is  being  done 
in  other  countries,  unless  prompt  steps  are  taken  in  a  comprehensive  way  to 
restore  proper  relations  between  them." 
These  comments,  coming  as  they  do  from  the  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  organization,  are  deserving  of  careful  consideration 
on  the  part  of  pharmaceutical  associations  and  pharmacists  in 
general. 
If  pharmacy  is  to  make  progress  along  professional  lines  it 
must  be  in  harmony  with  the  best  interests  of  the  medical  profes- 
sion, and  the  sooner  the  representatives  of  the  two  professions  arrive 
at  a  mutual  understanding  as  to  the  best  policy  to  pursue  to  safe- 
