Am'M°aUy"i^2iarm' £    Pharmacy  as  a  Legitimate  Science.  343 
bine  substances  which  are  difficult  of  preparation  in  presentable  and 
palatable  form.  He  must  know  when  comparatively  harmless  sub- 
stances react  to  produce  new  products  of  poisonous  possibilities.  He 
must  know  the  misleading  popular  synonyms  and  use  skillful  and 
adroit  methods  in  ascertaining  from  a  purchaser  just  what  is  wanted 
when  no  prescription  or  written  order  is  presented, 'for  drugs  having 
widely  dissimilar  properties  often  have  the  same  name  among  per- 
sons of  little  education. 
"In  order  to  perform  all  these  duties  properly  the  pharmacist 
must  be  educated  in  the  basic  sciences  of  botany,  pharmacognosy, 
chemistry,  physics  and  bacteriology — pharmacy  being  a  comming- 
ling of  all  these  in  a  virtually  applied  form.  That  he  may  conscien- 
tiously fulfill  these  responsibilities  and  requirements  he  must,  if  he 
values  his  professional  welfare  and  progress  become  a  member  of 
the  professional  associations  representative  of  his  calling  and  keep  his 
scientific  knowledge  alive  by  contant  reading  and  study. 
"The  pharmacist  is  the  responsible  authority  under  the  narcotic 
and  revenue  laws  for  the  proper  handling  and  dispensing  of  habit- 
forming  drugs  and  alcoholic  liquors.  The  proportion  of  pharmacists 
who  are  recreant  to  this  trust  is  small,  indeed,  compared  to  the  great 
number  who  uphold  the  law.  We  hear  very  quickly  about  the  vio- 
lators, but  nothing  is  said  about  the  great  army  of  those  who  are 
law-abiding.  While  the  pharmacist  seems  to  be  fair  game  for  would- 
be  humorists  in  regard  to  the  liquor  question,  jokes  picturing  him  as 
a  dope  peddler  or  liquor  dealer  are  as  far-fetched  and  in  as  bad  taste 
as  the  hoary  jokes  about  the  mother-in-law  or  sleepy  Philadelphia. 
"His  is  the  privilege  to  deal  in  substances  of  interest,  rarity  and 
■value,  both  intrinsic  and  potential.  His  wares  are  brought  to  him 
through  the  traffic  lanes  which  cover  the  seven  seas.  From  the 
spice-laden  breezes  of  Oriental  isles;  from  the  base  of  snow-capped, 
majestic  mountains  of  great  continents;  from  icebound  ports  of 
the  polar  clime;  from  tropic  jungles;  from  the  land  of  the 
midnight  sun;  from  the  shadow  of m  the  pyramids  themselves,  come 
remedies  whose  history  forms  one  of  the  most  fascinating  and 
romantic  chapters  of  scientific  study,  for  be  it  known  that  romance 
and  sciences  are  often  inextricably  interwoven.  Some  of  the 
preparations  which  he  compounds  date  from  the  beginning  of  the 
Christian  era;  others  had  their  own  origin  in  some  fortuitous 
discovery  of  a  now  forgotten  and  misled  searcher  for  the  philoso- 
pher's stone.  j 
"  'Your  druggist  is  more  than  a  merchant'  is  a  slogan  frequently 
seen  nowadays.    Think  it  over. 
"The  pharmacist  is  entitled  to  the  respect  of  the  community 
when  he  serves  it  faithfully,  as  is  usually  the  case,  and  it  is  time  that 
the  same  public-spirited  support  of  the  city,  State  and  Nation  is  ac- 
corded to  the  institutions  in  which  pharmacists  are  trained  through- 
