The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-02-27 00:00:00

IIRETIA'G of SURGEONS and APOTHECARIES.
On Saturday evening a public meeting of the General Practi-
tioners of Surgery and Medicine was held at the Crown and Anchor
rerun, Strand, " for the vurpose of taking into consideration the
present elate of the General Branch of the profession, and the pro-
priety of an immediate application to Parliament. in consequence
of the expiration, in August next, of the Apothecaries' Act, passed
last Session."

Mr Harts was called to the Chair. His reluctance to fill the
situation of Chairman dtd not wise front a want elan acquai—ance
with their grievances, or because It required any extraordinary
talent to prove the justice of their claims. The obj ct they had in
view was to give schrtioilal respectability to the character of the
general practitioner in sntgery nod medicine. It was desirable, as
the proceedings would go forth to the world, to state that two-thirds
of the practitioners belonged to the College of Surgeons, and that
they possessed all the sieruirements of the .Meinhers of that Body.
According to Adam Smith and other writers, the Apothecary was
the Physician to the podr in general cases, and the prescriber to
nine-tentha of the -populdtion ; and it was important that he
should be fitted, by education and taleat, for so important a public
mar. The Chairman gave a history of the formation of the
" United Body of Asaocinted Surgeons and Apothecaries of
England and Wales," in 1811. They Veld a meeting to contra
' der their grievances, and were joined by other practitioners,
till their numbers Increased to about 3,00 d. rev resolved to apply
to Parliament, from a firm conviction that legislative interfeSence
was necessary. A Bill was consequeMly brought Into Parliament ;
but there appeared something unfortunate attenilng it, for it was
strongly opposed in both Houses, treated w.th an icy coidnaes
by the Apothecaries Company, and opposed by film Chartered
Comanies; so that finding It was likely the Bill would be thrown
out, by opposition from four several quarters, it was withdrawn.
A Bilwas subsequently brought into Parliament, and it ass pro.
posed that the examination of persons, prior to their practising.
should be vested in the Apothecaries Company but This W 45 Op.
posed by the Society of Physicians; aubseNently, however, !some
points favourable to the practitioner were cunt tied. In the last
Session of Parliament a Bill passed both Muses, which was
brought in by the Society of Apothecaries; it was gremly de-
fective, and some parts of it subjected +he medical practitioner to
[severe penalties. One severe grievance he coniplazoned Of was, the
right it gave to Members of Apothecaries' Hall to enter the shop
of an Apothecary and search the same and examine his drugs.
When the Bill of the last Session was brought before Parliament,
a deputation, of which he had the honour to be one, waited un .11r.
13rovgham, to request that Gentleman to support the Bill, which
contained a clause of tile utmost importance, which would have
operated more to the interest of the public In general than to the
private interests of the medical practitioner while, at the same
time, it would have given to the latter that character of Csspectabi-
lity which the memberi of a liberal profession ought io pesseaa.
Mr. Brougham received the deputation, and promised to support
the Bill; and Mr. Hume also promised, and did zealously advocate
their cause. The latter gentleman it was who undertook to intro.
duce the clause an important to their fraternity, if lie might use the
expression. The clause was to this effect That the mode of
remunerating medical practitioners should undergo a change ; that
as heretofore the apothecary could receive payment only for the me-
dicines he compounded, in future he should receive a moderate
charge or fee, whether he administered medicine to the patient or
not. The clause having been introduced, Mr. flume obtained
leave for a Committee to be appointed to consider the whole grier.
since of the Apothecaries. and Mr. Hume was appointed Chairman.
He (the present Chairman) was deputed, with inhere, to attend the
Committee ' • he did so, and having waited two hours after the time
appointed, he was informed, though he never could learn tl:e rea-
son, that the Committee had been dissolved. Early on a stibse-
quent night Mr. Brougham moved that the Bill do pass into a law,
but that Important clause had been, in a most extraordinary man-
ner, previously struck out. (Hear.) It was lamentable that such
was the effect of the opposition of the Society of Apothecaries: hut
he hoped they would retrace their steps, and be anxious to raise the
medical profession in character and respectability. There was evi-
dently a strong public prejudice against medical practitioners; it
was thought that they dispensed medicine, not with any view of
benefiting their patients, but for personal interest only. (A laugh.)
It was their duty to do all in their power to remove so abotfiinable
a suspicion from the minds of their patients, because it was of the
utmost consequence that the greatest confidence should subsist be.
tween the practitioner and the patient, and this could be effected
only by the practitioner supplying his medicine without charge, anti
receiving a fee for his services in compounding, &c. He 'herald
have supposed that Mr. Brougham would have been the last man
who would have lent himself to the secret withdrawing of that
clause, being aware, front exprience, that professional men cannot
be respectable unless they are Paid liberally for their services. Ile
did not deny that the Society of Apothecaries had done some good ;
he was one himself, and he felt indignant that they were capable of
doing that in their corporate capacity which, as men of honour, they
would disdain in their private character. They possessed power
and Influence, and they exercised it despotically ; but—
, " Man, weak man, clothed in a little brief authority,
Plays such fantastic tricks before high Heaven,
As make the angels weep." (Loud applause.)
He adverted to a clause in the Act of Parliament, compelling as
Apothecary to make up the prescripticn of a physician, or member
I or licentiate of the College of Surgeons, at any hour of the day or
night, or if he failed to do so, subjected him to a fine by a sum.
mary process before a Magistrate. This was a grievance which a
professional man ought not to be subjected to, and he stared several
reasons why the clause ought to be expunged. Another clause,
equally objectionable to the apothecary, he pointed out, which
having been read, he observed, that when that great Master of
Nature. the immortal Shalomeare, wished •to exhibit human mi-
sery in the most wretched shape, he introduced a starved aporhe.
cary, whom
" Sharp misery had almost worn to the bones."
(Applause and laughter.) lie (the Chairman) was certainly no
figure for the part so ably drawn by the Poet (Laughter, the Chair.
man being somewhat corpulent). lie could not help saying a few
words on the practice of certain physiCians sending their pies-rip-
dons to particular druggists, and sharing with them in the eine-
luments arising from the sale of the drugs (Hear! and biasing from
all parts of the room). It was an indisputable fact, for a short time
ago a physician dissolved partnership with a Drug Company.
(Shame.) Ile called the attention of the Meeting to the present
practice of midwifery by uneducated and unskilful persons, some',
from the plough-tail, by which hundreds of lives were lost; and
I mothers, after hours, and sometimes days of torture, instead of
hearing those sounds more sweet than the dulcet notes of a Stephens
or a Braham—the voice of the infant—the anxious mother heard a '
dreadfal whisper, that her child was dead, and mutilated, through
the ignorance of the pretender. The College of Physicians had
repeatedly been called upon to give their powerful aid In passing an
Act, that all perions practising as accoucheurs should previously
undergo an examination as to their qualification; but they had
declined interfering. The apothecary, m wishing to carry the pro-
posed object into effect, was not seeking a selfish advantage, but
that which would be conducive to the public good. He trusted
that those who intended to address the Meeting, however they
might sutra from their grievances, would avoid personality, and
during the important discussion, while they employed the vigour
of the bow, they would disclaim the venom of the shaft. (Loud
cheering.) The first Resolution, proposed by Mr. Leese, was
seconded and carried :
.

" That the Apothecary, or rather the Surgeon-Apothecary, is
the sole Medical Attendant of a very large majority of the popula-
tion of England and Wales ; and the public welfare, therefore, re-
quires that he should have had an adequate professional education.
That the principal object of the Legislature, In passing the Act of
the fisth of Geo. 111. (common)y termed " The Apothecaries'
Act") was to prevent any person from practising medicine in Eng-
land and Wales who had not received a sufficient medical cduca,
tion, and given proof of his competency by strict examination.
That this object has not been attained by the provisions of the Act ;
but on the contrary, that great numbers of uneducated and unex.
mined persons are still practising, to the great injury of the pub-
lic. That the course of study laid down by the Cotirt of Eamon.
era cif the Society of Apothecaries, for candidates for their licenses,
is sufficient to qualify the individuals for the several duties of the
medical profession : and thus, when good sense and conscientious
feeling on the part of the candidates do not lead them to pursue a
move extended and complete course of study, by the operation of
this Act, the impress of legality and efficiency will be stamped by
authority upon the imperfectly educated and, incompetent practi-1
tioner."

Mr. SHTLLITO said he was sorry to differ in opinion from the
gentleman who had proposed the Resolution. He really thought
they were not warranted in going the length of the Resolution. Pre-
vious to the pluming of the Act, in 1815, what were the apotheca.
ries ? Why they were pestle-and-mortar men. They only had
the power of mixing up drugs, but no power to prescribe.
A GENTLEMAN in the room observed, that by the late Act the
apothecaries lost something, as a power was given to the druggists
to compound medicines ; their shops, therefore, now became recep-
tacles for prescriptions. It had been said that the physicians com-
bined with the apothecaries. He could assure the meeting that
such really was the case. He had seen an apothecary's bill made
out by a physician, and he had known him present the same tLe
payment, and seen him receive the money. When the same gen-
tleman was a candidate for some medical honour, ho abandoned a
second bill.

....
3lr. Sir tr. LITO said that, previous to 1815, any person, any igno.
rant pretender might practise physic. (Cries of " They do now.")
Gentlemen who attended the Hospitals, and went through the re.
gular ordeals, might be considered efficient members of the faculty.
As to the compounding of medicines, physic was now in less gYne-
ral practice t the public became enlightened, and physic was out of
fashion, and became a dead loss.' He should like to put into his
pocket the value of the physic which was sent in by the practitioner
and did net go Into the patient's stomach. Ile thought it extremeri
hard that the chymist and druggist should compound medicines fur
their own benefit.

111 r. Imillogue,said that the Act of Parliament called the Apo.
theories' Act did not confer any benefit upon the profession, •but
appeared to have emanated from some sordid individual. At to
the observation that had been made, that the apothecaries were
mere pestle-and-mortar meh, bethought it was a pretty compliment
paid to those who were then in practice. The only persons who
profitted by the Act were the Examiners, and in whose pocket was
put six guineas upon every examination. He had no hesitation in
stigmatising it as a system of plunder. (Hisses and cheers.) Ad-
mitting, for the sake of argument, that such an Act wen necessary,
he would ask, have the Apochectries' Company, and the Examiners,
discharged their duty ? He contended that they had not discharred
their duty. They had not protected the profession frotn those %no-
wore not qualified, and when they discovered each instances they
suirered them to paw unnoticed. In. his recoltection they had not
prosecuted more than two persons. He could point out instances
wiser, ignorant pretendirs had set up in the very teeth of the re.