652 
Editorials. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec.,  1884. 
possible  price?  Why,  any  peanut  seller  on  the  street  corner  could  do  this 
as  well. 
(Signed)  Robert  Shoemaker. 
Philadelphia,  November,  1884. 
The  above  letter  needs  no  comments  from  us  ;  it  expresses,  substantially, 
the  views  which  have  been  advocated  by  this  Journal  during  the  past  fifty- 
six  years.  Although  the  public  will  naturally  look  to  the  drug  store  for 
supplying  them  with  what  they  regard  as  "  medicines  " — nostrums,  in  all 
their  various  forms,  are  no  part  of  pharmacy  ;  their  buying  and  selling  is  a 
purely  commercial  transaction,  which  as  such,  is  not  degrading  to  phar- 
macy, but  is  apt  to  have  this  effect  if  the  pharmacist  identifies  himself  with 
these  nostrums,  and  becomes  the  advertising  agent  for  such  preparations, 
and,  by  the  distribution  of  circulars,  almanacs,  etc.,  the  recommender  of 
specifics  and  cure-alls.  The  legitimate  province  of  pharmacy  is  the  prepa- 
ration and  dispensing  of  medicines  ;  but  he  who  measures  or  weighs  out 
only  what  he  has  purchased,  wherein  does  he  differ  from  a  common  dealer? 
As  to  nostrums  and  secret  medicines,  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation, from  its  very  inception,  has  taken  a  decided  stand  against  them, 
and  during  its  early  history  the  tendency  of  American  pharmacy  pointed 
towards  the  endeavor  of  ridding  itself  of  an  evil  which,  unchecked,  would 
necessarily  result  in  the  degradation,  instead  of  the  elevation  of  pharmacy  ; 
the  evil  had  to  be  tolerated,  but  it  was  not  petted.  It  would  doubtless  con- 
duce to  the  best  interests  of  the  public  if  the  vending  of  nostrums  could  be 
confined  to  properly  educated  pharmacists,  provided  that  the  latter  would 
not  lend  a  helping  hand  towards  increasing  sales  which— no  matter  what 
pecuniary  profit  they  may  temporarily  afford— will  react  to  the  disadvan- 
tage of  pharmacy.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  purchasing  and 
selling  of  nostrums  requires  neither  knowledge  nor  skill,  and  merely 
enough  experience  for  discerning  which  will  sell  best  and  at  the  same  time 
afford  the  largest  profit.  Any  shrewd  business  man  may  therefore  become 
the  purveyor  of  ready-made  medicines,  and  entering  the  trade  from  a 
purely  mercantile  view,  and  without  being  able  to  appreciate  the  dangers 
arising  from  an  indiscriminate  use  of  his  wares,  is  more  likely  to  make  a 
business  success  of  such  a  venture  than  the  conscientious  pharmacist  who 
is  not  willing  to  shoulder  responsibilities  against  his  better  judgment, 
based  upon  education,  experience  and  knowledge.  Such  and  similar  con- 
siderations may  render  it  desirable  for  pharmacists  to  retain  in  their  hands 
a  trade  which  in  itself  is  inimical  to  their  profession,  because  it  makes  them 
mere  middle-men,  or  distributors  instead  of  producers. 
Much  has  been  said  about  the  encroachment  of  the  pharmacist's  domain 
by  traders ;  but  the  other  side  of  the  question  should  not  be  overlooked. 
Of  the  thousand  and  one  fancy  articles  frequently  kept  for  sale  by  pharma- 
cists, very  few  only  are  used  for  their  medicinal  properties  or  can  be  claimed 
to  possess  such.  In  many  stores  exposing  a  sign  with  the  inscription 
"Pharmacy,"  a  more  or  less  lucrative  business  is  carried  on  in  cigars, 
liquors  and  other  commodities  which  are  not  used  as  medicines  and  are 
generally  sold  by  other  tradesmen.  The  pharmacist  is  therefore  an  invader 
as  well  as  the  sufferer  from  the  invasion  by  others. 
