THE 
AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
MAY,  1874. 
•  *  
ON  LAWS  INTENDED  TO  REGULATE  THE  PRACTICE  OP  PHAR- 
MACY IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA. 
By  Charles  C.  Fredigke. 
When  we  examine  the  efforts  made  thus  far  to  regulate  the  business 
of  selling  drugs  in  our  country,  we  find  that  they  emanate  from  a  de- 
sire to  raise  that  business  to  the  dignity  of  a  profession.  It  is  worthy 
of  note,  that  these  efforts,  instead  of  being  brought  forward  by  the 
people,  in  every  instance  proceed  from  those  engaged  in  the  business. 
They  make  the  protection  of  the  people  a  prime  reason,  culminating 
in  graduation  and  registration  ;  but  the  laws  enacted  in  some  of  the 
States  fail  entirely  of  their  intention  and  purpose,  besides  incumber- 
ing the  business  and  imposing  expenses  on  those  engaged  in  it.  They 
run  counter  in  every  instance  to  the  civil  rights  of  the  citizen.  They 
must  do  this  of  necessity  so  long  as  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  of  America  is  not  amended  so  as  to  bring  the  practice  of 
pharmacy  within  the  concern  of  the  Government  at  large.  Under 
the  present  conditions,  no  government  of  any  one  of  the  States  of 
this  Union  possesses  the  right  to  regulate  the  practice  of  pharmacy, 
except  in  so  far  as  the  welfare  of  the  Commonwealth  demands,  which 
depends  upon  its  polity,  that  is,  its  constitution — the  fundamental 
framework  upon  which  the  various  departments  of  a  government  are 
based  ;  therefore  the  State  can  do  this  only  in  such  a  manner  as  not 
to  interfere  in  the  free  pursuit  of  any  avocation  an  individual  may 
prefer,  whether  qualified  or  not.  This  is  a  fundamental  right 
possessed  by  every  citizen,  and  secured  by  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  of  America ;  it  is  as  broad  as  the  Union  of  these  States, 
being  one  of  those  which  made  our  country  what  it  is.  Nobody  can 
be  called  upon  here  to  show  evidence  how  he  came  about  his  pro- 
fession. His  ability  to  practise  it  is  the  only  evidence  required.  The 
question  of  qualification,  the  degree  of  ability,  is  no  concern  of  the 
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