402 
Legitimate  Pharmacy. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t      Sept.  1875. 
a  little  "tonic"  in  his.  Passing  behind  the  Spa,  they  call  upon  another 
boy  for  cigars,  and  select  each  his  favorite  "  Rosa,"  "  Fumar "  or 
"  Figaro."  A,  remembering  the  parties'  sweet  tooth,  orders  a  pound 
of  French  mixed  candy  and  a  package  of  chocolate  caramels,  "  fresh 
every  day."  B  crosses  the  tesselated  floor  and  selects,  from  a  lot  of 
playing  cards  in  the  elegant  show  case,  a  new  euchre  deck,  and  is  kindly 
shown  by  the  attentive  salesman  (who  is  also,  perhaps^  an  accomplished 
pharmacist)  an  extensive  assortment  of  portemonnaies,  cigar  cases  and 
other  beautiful  Russia-leather  goods,  pocket  cutlery,  meerschaum  pipes 
and  smokers'  articles  and  knick-knackery  of  every  description.  C, 
meanwhile  negotiates  at  the  prescription  counter  for  a  bottle  of  "  heid- 
sick  "  or  sparkling  "  catawba,"  and  the  two  resume  their  homeward 
stroll.  In  truth,  here,  as  in  the  moral  drug  store  where  calomel  and 
calico,  quinine  and  guano,  tea  and  opium,  clothes  wringers  and  David- 
son's syringes,  leeches  and  canary  birds  are  dealt  out  with  equal  freedom, 
the  department  least  depended  upon  for  business  success  is  that  of 
pharmacy. 
It  is  useless,  before  this  body,  to  enlarge  upon  a  condition  of  things 
which  all  will  acknowledge  as  here  truthfully,  if  feebly,  presented,  and 
which,  I  doubt  not,  we  all  regret.  It  has  happened  to  us  to  live  in  a 
period  when  a  demand  has  arisen  for  a  re-ordering  of  this  matter  ;  in 
fact,  we  are  taking,  or  professing  to  take,  an  active  part  in  efforts  to 
that  end,  and  it  remains  for  each  one  to  keep,  at  any  rate,  as  nearly  as 
he  can  individually  afford,  abreast  the  advancing  standard.  Since  the 
very  preponderance  of  the  mercantile  feature  allowed  in  the  retail  drug 
business  has  resulted  in  the  excessive  outside  competition  that  renders 
it  now  so  difBcult  to  win  great  pecuniary  success  in  that  occupation,  it 
becomes  sound  policy  as  well  as  plain  duty  for  each  of  us  to  help  along 
the  reform  movement,  and  if  in  our  personal  business  we  may  deem  it 
as  yet  incompatible  with  solvency  or  success  to  do  away  with  non-phar- 
maceutical merchandise,  let  us  endeavor  to  make  the  pharmaceutical 
overshadow  and  control  all  other  features  of  it,  aiming  gradually  to  dis- 
card all  that  is  extraneous,  even  though  it  shall  not  be  ours  to  see,  in 
the  flesh,  the  good  time  coming  in  this  land  when  there  shall  be  no 
doubt  as  to  what  is  meant  by  "  legitimate  pharmacy." 
In  that  time  we  may  be  sure  that  future  temperance  crusaders  will 
not  feel  impelled  to  equal  prayers  for  drug  stores  and  gin  mills,  for  the 
coming  druggist,  though  not  exempt  from  the  need  of  prayer,  will  not 
be  charged  with  pandering  to  the  vitiated  taste  of  the  drunkard,  by  dis- 
