138 
Editorial 
j  AM.  JotTR.  PHABW. 
(    March  1, 1872. 
The  Governor  is  unaccountably  misinformed  when  he  states  that  the  fee  in 
New  York  for  examination  and  certificate  is  only  five  dollars.  All  our  readers 
know  that  it  is  thirty  dollars  for  proprietors  and  ten  dollars  for  prescription 
clerks.  As  originally  proposed  by  the  committee,  the  fee  was  fixed  at  five  dol- 
lars, but  by  the  meeting  of  druggists  and  pharmacists  held  Dee.  19th,  1871,  it 
was  raised  so  as  not  to  exceed  ten  dollars,  which  was  considered  a  more  just 
and  proper  compensation  for  the  necessary  time  and  labor  of  the  Board. 
The  last  clause  of  the  veto  message  is  obscure.  We  suppose  its  meaning  to 
be  that  practitioners  of  medicine  should  not  be  prevented  from  furnishing 
medicines  to  their  own  patients.  Aside  from  the  question  whether  or  not  such  a 
course  on  the  part  of  physicians  in  a  densely  populated  city  like  Philadelphia 
is  desirable  or  not,  there  is  nothing  in  the  vetoed  bill  to  prevent  physicians  from 
drugging  their  own  patients  with  their  own  medicines  to  their  heart's  content  j 
for  section  1  of  the  vetoed  bill  refers  only  to  persons  who  open  or  carry  on  a 
retail  drug  or  chemical  store,  or  engage  in  the  business  of  compounding  and  dis- 
pensing medicines,  or  of  selling  at  retail  any  drugs,  chemicals,  poisons  or  medi- 
cines. 
We  have  heard  it  intimated  that  the  officiousness  of  some  parties,  in  trying 
to  secure  their  own  nomination  before  the  bill  had  even  pissed  the  Legislature, 
is  one  of  the  causes  why  its  former  friends  in  that  body  are  disposed  to  give  it 
the  cold  shoulder.  We  should  be  sorry  if  this  would  prove  to  be  the  case  ;  for 
we  are  convinced,  that  by  far  the  largest  number  of,  if  not  all  the  members  of 
this  College,  are  determined  to  mike  only  such  norninatio  js  which  will,  reflect 
no  discredit  upon  this  institution,  and  solely  with  regard  to  fitness  for  the  re- 
sponsible position. 
What  the  ultimate  fate  of  this  vetoed  bill  will  be  we  cannot  predict.  If  it 
does  not  become  a  law  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia  cinnot  attribute  the  result 
to  any  action  on  the  part  of  the  phirm  icists;  they  have  done  their  duty,  and 
voluntarily  proposed  to  take  upon  themselves  obligations  in  order  to  protect 
the  public,  and  to  assume  responsibilities  which  no  law  heretofore  enacted  in 
this  country  had  imposed  upon  them.  We  have  shown  that  the  objections 
raised  by  the  Chief  Executive  Officer  of  the  Commonwealth  are  invalid,  and 
we  can  leave  the  subject  to  the  just  discrimination  of  all  concerned. 
A  Model  Pharmacy  Act  was  introduced  by  Mr.  White  in  the  Senate  of 
Pennsylvania,  January  26th.  It  proves  the  danger  of  objectionable  legislation, 
and  is  therefore  of  interest  far  beyond  the  limits  of  this  State.  The  bill,  by  a 
decided  majority,  has  been  indefinitely  postponed,  but  there  is  no  telling  when 
it  may  be  called  up  again,  and  "  to  be  forewarned  is  to  be  forearmed." 
The  bill  in  question  is  a  verbal  copy  of  the  Irving  bill,  which  was  saddled 
upon  the  pharmacists  of  New  York  City  nearly  a  year  ago,  and  altered  merely 
to  apply  to  an  entire  State.  The  originators  of  that  law  and  the  commissioners 
acting  under  it  may  congratulate  themselves  on  the  excellent  example  set  by 
them  on  the  subject  of  regulating  the  practice  of  pharmacy  in  an  intelligent 
community. 
No.  129  of  the  file  of  the  Senate  is  "An  act  to  establish  aboard  for  the 
examination  of  and  licensing  of  druggists  and  venders  of  medicine  in  the  State 
