64  Need  of  a  Profession  of  Pharmacy, 
probably  feel  that  we  cannot  aspire  to  fit  in  exactly  with  the  de- 
mands that  will  be  made  of  the  coming  professional  pharmacist, 
can,  in  the  meantime,  conduct  ourselves  and  our  business  in  such  a# 
way  that  we  will  gain  the  trust  and  confidence  of  physicians  of  to- 
day, and  in  this  way  establish  a  precedent  that  will  be  of  incalcu- 
lable value  to  our  more  professional  and  scientifically  more  able 
successors  of  to-morrow.    [Proc.  A.  Ph.  A.,  1904.) 
ON  THE  EVIDENT  NEED  OF  A  PROFESSION  OF 
PHARMACY. 
By  M.  I.  WlLBERT, 
Apothecary  at  the  German  Hospital,  Philadelphia. 
The  notes  embodied  in  this  paper  are  composed  almost  entirely 
of  references  to  papers  published  in  medical  journals,  or  of  extracts 
from  personal  letters  received  from  medical  men,  who  are  more  or 
less  interested  in  the  subject  matter  under  discussion.  Altogether, 
the  paper  may  be  considered  a  sequel  to,  or,  perhaps  better,  a  con- 
tinuation of,  the  paper  entitled,  "  The  Pharmacist  and  the  Physician," 
presented  by  me  at  the  Kansas  City  meeting  of  the  American 
Pharmaceutical  Association  (see  page  60). 
The  views  expressed  in  that  paper  have  led  to  an  extensive  and 
somewhat  varied  exchange  of  opinion  on  the  need  of  having  or 
developing  a  profession  of  pharmacy,  the  members  of  which  would 
serve  not  alone  as  purveyors  of  medicines  and  medicinal  prepara- 
tions, but  would  also  assume,  in  a  way,  the  position  of  mentors  or 
advisors  on  the  origin,  value  and  probable  uses  of  the  several 
medicinal  preparations  offered  to  the  medical  profession. 
Among  pharmacists  themselves  there  appears  to  be  a  considera- 
ble difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  need  or  desirability  of  conduct- 
ing themselves,  or  their  business,  along  professional  lines.  Many 
appear  to  hold,  with  a  recent  writer  in  the  American  Druggist} 
that  pharmacy  is  neither  a  profession  nor  the  semblance  of  a  pro- 
fession. 
On  the  other  hand  we  have  those  who  appear  to  believe  that 
pharmacy  has,  even  now,  achieved  a  desirable  degree  of  perfection, 
from  a  professional  point  of  view,  and  that,  therefore,  they  and 
other  members  of  their  calling  should  undoubtedly  be  considered 
professional  men.    Again  there  are  others  who  assert  that  the  pres- 
