194 
ADDRESS. 
qualified  individuals ;  and  without  its  aid  the  physician  is  great- 
ly circumscribed  in  his  ability  to  restore  the  sick  to  health  and 
enjoyment.  The  function  of  the  apothecary  is  one  of  great  re- 
sponsibility, in  so  far  as  he  is  the  custodian  of  the  powerful 
agents  by  which  cure  is  effected.  Ignorance  or  carelessness  on 
his  part  may  wholly  defeat  the  wisest  diagnosis,  and  most  ap- 
propriate prescription :  may  baffle  the  physician  in  his  endea- 
vors to  cope  with  disease  ;  and  even  consign  the  sufferer  to  an 
untimely  grave.  In  this  view,  then,  the  claims  of  Pharmacy  to 
rank  as  an  honorable  calling,  involving  regular  studies  and  skil- 
ful practice,  will  not  be  disputed ;  nor  will  the  pharmaceutist, 
when  worthily  engaged  in  its  legitimate  offices,  fail  to  receive 
the  respect  and  support  of  the  community  in  which  he  may  be 
located. 
The  history  of  Pharmacy,  as  it  was  and  as  it  is,  is  a  curious 
and  interesting  study,  even  to  the  non-professional  inquirer.  In 
the  earlier  ages  it  was  included  in  the  occupation  of  the  physician ; 
but  a  few  years  have  elapsed  since  this  union  was  severed  in  the 
cities  of  the  United  States,  and  at  this  time  many  instances  oc- 
cur, where  the  duties  of  physician  and  apothecary  are  united  in 
the  same  individual.  They  are,  nevertheless,  distinct  avocations, 
tending  to  the  same  end ;  between  them  a  mutual  check  reac- 
tion occurs,  healthful  to  each  class. 
It  is  not  my  purpose,  however,  to  occupy  our  time  this  evening 
with  the  records  of  the  past,  full  of  teaching  as  they  are  to  those 
who  consult  them  earnestly  ;  yet  it  seems  entirely  appropriate 
on  an  occasion  like  the  present,  when  a  numerous  representation 
from  the  community  in  which  we  live  have  honored  us  by  their 
presence,  to  present  a  view  of  the  true  character  of  the  duties 
which  Pharmacy  owes  to  Medicine  and  to  the  community,  with 
the  obligations  due  by  these  in  return. 
In  the  long  course  of  ages,  medical  observers,  aided  by  acci- 
dent, have  detected  a  curative  power  in  numerous  substances 
existing  in  nature.  So  universal  is  the  necessity  for  medical 
aid,  that  men  in  all  countries  agree  in  promoting  the  discovery 
of  every  thing  capable  of  increasing  its  power  and  certainty  ; 
and  in  enlightened  countries  of  the  present  day,  the  care  and 
preparation  of  these  agents  has  been  committed  to  a  distinct 
class,  known  as  apothecaries,  pharmaceutists,  or  chemists  and 
druggists. 
