Am.  Jour.  Pharni. ) 
July,  1885.  ; 
Editorials. 
307 
and  F.  H.  Masi,  of  Norfolk,  Treasurer.  The  next  meeting  will  convene  in 
Alexandria,  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  May,  1886. 
West  Virginia.— The  fifth  annual  meeting  assembled  in  Grafton, 
June  9.  The  reports  of  otticers  and  committees  and  several  jmpers  were 
read  and  discussed.  J.  A.  Grant,  of  Grafton,  was  elected  President,  and 
C.  Menkemeller,  of  Wheeling,  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  The  next  meet- 
ing will  take  place  at  Wheeling,  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  June,  1886. 
EDITORIAL  DEPARTMENT. 
Pharmaceutical  Legislation. — During  the  present  year  pharmacy 
laws  have  been  enacted  in  four  States,  in  which  heretofore  the  practice  of 
pharmacy  had  not  been  regulated  by  law,  namely,  Kansas,  Myssachusetts, 
Michigan  and  Minnesota.  These  laws  are  similar  to  those  which  are  in 
force  in  other  States,  and,  properly  carried  out,  will  prevent  grossly  incom- 
petent persons  from  entering  a  business  in  which  knowledge,  skill  and 
prudence  are  the  real  safeguards  of  the  customers. 
It  is  known  that  the  existing  pharmacy  laws,  notwithstanding  their 
general  similarity,  show  httle  uniformity  in  some  important  points,  and 
the  same  holds  good  also  for  the  new  laws.  While,  for  instance,  in  Minne- 
sota graduates  of  any  medical  school  are  lawfully  capable  of  conducting  a 
pharmaceutical  business,  the  board  is  empowered  to  discriminate  between 
the  schools  of  pharmacy,  the  same  as  in  Kansas;  but,  in  the  latter  State, 
graduates  in  medicine  have  not  the  prerogative  conferred  upon  them  by 
law  to  become  pharmacists  without  having  had  pharmaceutical  experience. 
In  Michigan,  on  the  other  hand,  no  diploma  is  recognized,  but  licentiates 
of  other  boards  may  be  registered  without  examination. 
Other  difierences  are  found  in  the  manner  of  selecting  the  board,  in  the 
examining  fees,  in  the  annual  registration  fees,  in  the  poison  clauses,  the 
qualification  of  assistants,  etc. 
Maine  has  had  a  pharmacy  law  since  1877,  w^hich,  notwithstanding  seve- 
ral defects,  has  been  well  administered.  The  commissioners,  knowing 
these  defects,  had  framed  an  amended  bill  and  presented  it  with  their  offi- 
cial annual  report.  Without  their  knowledge,  however,  a  bill  was  passed 
by  the  Legislature,  and  approved  March  6,  1885,  in  which  most,  if  not  all, 
the  objectionable  features  are  retained  and  others,  still  more  objectionable 
ones,  have  been  legalized.  The  commissioners  appointed  by  the  Governor 
must,  as  in  the  old  law,  be  suitable  persons,  but  wherein  their  suitability  is 
to  consist  is  not  stated.  While  every  applicant  for  registration  is  appar- 
ently required  to  submit  to  an  examination  after  presenting  satisfactory 
evidence  of  having  three  years'  experience,  or  being  a  graduate  in  medicine 
or  in  pharmacy,  and  in  addition  thereto  that  he  is  competent  for  the  busi- 
ness ;  exceptions  are  made  in  favor  of  practising  physicians  who  may  do 
the  business  of  an  apothecary  ivithout  being  registered,  and  in  favor  of 
those  who  were  engaged  in  the  business  March  11,  1877,  and  hereafter  enter 
on  the  business  of  an  apothecary,  they  being  dispensed  from  the  examina- 
