56 
Educational  Advancement. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I   February,  1909. 
eradicated  from  this  country.  Above  all  other  countries  we  are  vic- 
tims of  the  drug  habit.  Whenever  anything  is  the  matter  with  an 
American  the  first  thing  he  is  expected  to  do  is  to  "  take  something." 
Every  one  of  his  friends  will  prescribe  a  different  remedy,  every 
remedy  so  prescribed  being  an  absolute  specific  remedy  against  the 
ailments  from  which  he  is  suffering.  The  newspapers  abound  with 
advertisements  calling  the  attention  of  the  people  to  symptoms  of 
diseases  which  perhaps  they  never  have.,  or  which  the  imagination 
easily  magnifies  into  veritable  dangers.  The  drug  stores  are  filled 
with  preparations  or  compounds  which  are  regarded  as.  specifics  for 
almost  eveiy  disease  of  humanity.  These  medicines  are  sold  in  great 
quantities  to  the  laity  by  the  druggist,  thus  depriving  the  druggist 
himself  of  the  legitimate  reward  for  compounding  the  remedy,  and 
the  physician  from  his  legitimate  reward  of  recommending  it  to  his 
patient.  It  will  be  better,  therefore,  for  both  professions,  as  well 
as  for  the  public,  when  the  days  of  the  deceptive  dope  are  done. 
It  seems  to  me  that  for  the  minor  diseases,  for  which  the  druggist 
may  safely  prescribe,  it  would  be  sufficient  for  the  medical  fraternity 
in  each  locality  to  agree  with  the  druggist  in  regard  to  remedies 
which  should  be  given  for  simple  colds  and  other  minor  diseases. 
The  medical  association  of  each  locality  could  write  the  prescriptions 
for  these  diseases,  place  them  with  the  druggist  and  they  could  be 
filled  by  the  druggist  upon  the  direct  application  of  the  layman. 
Thus  the  layman  would  receive  a  greater  benefit  than  ever  before, 
and  be  protected  from  fraudulent  extortion,  the  druggist  would  have 
a  larger  income  and  the  physician  would  not  be  deprived  of  the 
necessary  applications  to  him  from  those  who  were  really  ill.  I 
do  not  think  that  any  pharmacist  should  ever  be  allowed  to  sell  a 
medicine  to  be  carried  to  a  person  who  is  too  ill  to  apply  for  it 
himself,  nor  for  any  disease  of  a  character  which  threatens  permanent 
injury  or  death. 
By  some  such  method  of  co-operation  the  bonds  which  hold  the 
two  great  professions  of  pharmacy  and  medicine  together  would  be 
strengthened,  the  feeling  of  amity  between  the  two  professions 
increased,  with  corresponding  benefits  to  the  public  and  with  cer- 
tainly no  financial  loss  either  to  the  pharmacist  or  the  physician.  It 
is  wTell  to  consider  these  points  especially  in  relation  to  the  future 
development  of  the  profession  and  its  establishment  upon  a  thor- 
oughly scientific  basis. 
