174  London  Botanic  Gardens.  {AmApOrn'i906arm' 
name  of  "  pharmacist,"  "  chemist  "  or  "  druggist."  The  "  apothe- 
cary "  himself,  however,  that  is  to  say,  the  licentiate  of  the  Society 
of  Apothecaries,  is  free  to  practise  pharmacy  if  he  be  so  disposed, 
as  the  penalties  imposed  on  persons  who  are  not  registered  under 
the  Pharmacy  Acts  do  not  apply  to  medical  practitioners.1  The 
Society  of  Apothecaries,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  conducts  an  open 
pharmacy  of  its  own  at  its  hall  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Paul's  Cathe- 
dral. In  connection  with  this  section  of  the  Society's  work,  it  is  of 
interest  to  note  that  a  laboratory  for  the  preparation  of  drugs  was 
erected  in  1671,  and  that  a  "selling  place"  existed  in  1672,  as 
shown  by  the  Society's  records.  Drugs  were  only  sold  to  apothe- 
caries at  first,  but  as  time  went  on  the  Society  developed  an  exten- 
sive business  with  the  East  India  Company  and  other  bodies,  and, 
finally,  the  retail  department  was  opened  in  1822.2 
We  will  now  proceed  to  consider  in  greater  detail  the  activities  of 
the  Society  in  promoting  the  study  of  botany,  as  exemplified  more 
especially  by  the  establishment  of  the  Physic  Garden  at  Chelsea  and 
by  the  maintenance  of  the  latter  during  two  and  a  quarter  centuries. 
It  is  on  record  that  the  members  of  the  Society  of  Apothecaries 
interested  themselves  in  botanical  pursuits  soon  after  their  incor- 
poration, and  that  they  made  periodical  excursions  in  search  of 
plants  early  in  the  seventeenth  century.  We  are  indebted  to  Thomas 
Johnson,  editor  of  Gerarde's  Herbal,  and  one  of  the  Society's  mem- 
bers, for  several  accounts  of  these  early  "  Herbarizings  "  as  they 
came  to  be  called.  By  1633  an  annual  General  Herborizing  was 
definitely  instituted,3  while  other  less  formal  ones  were  also  under- 
taken from  time  to  time. 
1  To  this  brief  explanation  of  the  status  of  the  licentiate  of  the  Society  of 
Apothecaries,  it  is  necessary  to  add  a  few  particulars  in  order  to  give  an  exact 
presentation  of  the  facts.  The  diploma  of  "  Licentiate  of  the  Society  of 
Apothecaries  "  does  not  of  itself  authorize  its  possessor  to  act  as  a  medical 
practitioner,  but  it  entitles  him,  in  common  with  the  holders  of  other  degrees 
and  qualifications  in  medicine  and  surgery,  to  have  his  name  placed  on  the 
British  Medical  Register,  on  payment  of  the  requisite  fees.  The  person  so 
registered  becomes,  ipso  facto,  a  legally  recognized  medical  practitioner,  to 
whom  the  above-mentioned  provisions  of  the  Pharmacy  Acts  do  not  apply. 
2  Those  interested  in  the  history  of  the  Society  may  consult  Mr.  Barrett's 
"  History  of  the  Society  of  Apothecaries  of  London  "  for  further  particulars. 
3  According  to  Pulteney  ( ' 1  Historical  and  Biographical  Sketches  of  the 
Progress  of  Botany  in  England,"  London,  1790)  these  annual  Herborizings 
were  subsequently  discontinued  for  many  years,  but  were  systematically 
renewed  after  the  foundation  of  the  garden. 
