1 62  Professionalism  vs.  Commercialis7n.  {Am*AJSSrm 
PROFESSIONALISM    VS.  COMMERCIALISM  IN 
PHARMACY. 
By  Whuam  C.  Aupkrs. 
The  conflict  between  commercialism  and  professionalism  in  phar- 
macy is  an  old  one — as  old  as  pharmacy  itself.  While  in  many 
European  countries  it  has  long  been  settled  in  favor  of  proessional- 
ism,  it  is  far  from  being  solved  in  our  country.  During  the  last  ten 
years  pharmaceutical  conditions  in  the  United  States  have  reached 
what  may  justly  be  called  a  crisis.  A  revolution  almost  is  taking 
place,  and  nobody  can  foresee  the  outcome.  Of  late  years  the  ten- 
dency has  been  to  push  commercialism  to  the  front,  direct  all  efforts 
to  reforms  on  strictly  commercial  lines  and  let  professionalism  take 
care  of  itself.  There  are  even  many  voices  heard  condemning  pro- 
fessionalism as  the  source  of  our  difficulties,  and  advocating  its  total 
abolishment  from  pharmacy.  Luckily,  in  all  extreme  measures  a 
reaction  is  bound  to  set  in,  and  the  signs  are  numerous  that  profes- 
sionalism will  soon  get  the  upper  hand  in  pharmacy. 
In  order  to  compare  the  two  sides  of  pharmacy,  and  try  to  find  a 
harmonious  and  satisfactory  link  between  them,  let  us  first  clearly 
understand  what  we  mean  by  the  two  terms,  professionalism  and 
commercialism.  Professionalism,  according  to  our  dictionaries,  is  a 
vocation  that  involves  a  special  education  and  mental  rather  than 
manual  labor.  Commercialism,  however,  is  the  spirit  of  commerce, 
an  exchange  of  goods.  If  therefore  we  speak  of  the  profession  of 
pharmacy,  we  thereby  imply  a  special  training  of  the  mind,  an  edu- 
cation beginning  at  the  lowest  step  and  gradually  leading  up  to 
what  is  collectively  called  pharmacy.  For  it  must  not  be  forgotten 
that  pharmacy  as  a  profession  is  not  a  science  in  itself,  but  rather 
the  combination  or  chaining  together  of  certain  branches  of  different 
sciences.  A  scientific  pharmacist,  in  the  widest  sense  of  the  word, 
would  have  to  possess  a  much  broader  education  than  a  chemist,  a 
botanist,  a  physician,  or  a  microscopist.  But  even  if  we  restrict  the 
word  to  our  daily  vocation,  a  wide  range  of  knowledge  is  necessary 
which  by  its  very  nature  must  at  once  raise  its  possessor  above  the 
ordinary  commercial  man. 
The  commercial  man  has  little  to  do  with  education.  It  is  prac- 
tical experience  and  a  keen  perception  and  exact  knowledge  of 
goods  that  make  him  successful.    He  may  be  able  to  determine  at 
