The hydraulic press., 1859-02-26
Board Of Medical Examiners.

y
for the creation of State Board of
Medical Examiners. Tt is made the
duty of this Board to appoint regularly
graduated physicians as examiners of
all applicants in surgery, medicine and
pharmacy, and their several branches; i;
and any person practising either of these
professions without first having under
gone an examination before these officers
and procured diploma from the Board,
it is declared shall be deemed guilty of
a misdemeanor, and, ON conviction in
any court ofcompetent jurisdiction, shall
be adjudged to pay fine of five hundred
dollars, or be imprisoned in the county
Jail for period of six months, or both
such fine and Imprisonment, at the dis
cretion of the court
In reference to this Bill we briefly
expressed the opinion that it was not
demanded by the majority of the medi-
cal profession for their protection, and
that it would utterly fail in its principal
object, the prevention of quackery,
since experience has proved that the
puplic vil employ quacks, no matter
what laws are passed, and that as long
as this is the case quacks will flourish
in spite of Medical Boards, diplomas,
fines and Imprisonment.
But there is a more serious objection
to the proposed law than incapability to
accomplish its object. 1t would result
in hardship and positive injustice to
large number of persons who might not
be able to stand strict scientific exam
ination yet who are well qualified by
experience and general knowledge for the
safe performance of their responsible
duties. We allude to the druggists and
pharmaceutists. 1t might dc the med
ical profession no harm, if it did them
no good, to require them to submit to
examination and pay for diplomas, and
it is probable that very few would pre-
sent themselves who were not able to
stand the test. But the case of the
druggist is different. In the United
States there are no colleges Of pharmacy,
as that phrase is understood in Europe,
where students are thoroughly taught
everything connected with the chemical
and curative properties Of every kind of
remedial agents and the mode of manu-
featuring, preparing, compounding and
prescribing the same. The great ma
jority of American druggists gained the
first knowledge of their business during
a mere apprenticeship, or novitiate, in
some pharmaceutical establishment, and
subsequently increased that knowledge
by self-application and the sure process
of long and varied experience. Some
of them are among the first chemists of
the country, and all of them, with very
rare exceptions, are we'll qualified drug
gists, possessing a sufficient acquaint-
ance with chemical science and materia
medica The most of those in this
State have been in the business many
years, and have secured the confidence
of the medical profession, whom they
have often placed under obligation by
timely and valuable hints and useful
pharmaceutical improvements. Yet they
would not all be able to stand the test of
strict technical examination such as the
proposed Medical Board would probably
feel bound to submit them to- Hence
many deserving and really safe and ca
pable druggists would be compelled to
abandon the only business they have
ever studied, and great injustice would
thus be perpetrated without any cores
pondlng benefit.
In England where the laws on this
subject are very strict, no person being
allowed to practice surgery, medicine or
pharmacy without regular study to that
end and being in possession of diploma,
as much Ignorance and carelessness are
exhibited as in the United States. People
employ empires there, as here, and in
competent druggists, even with diplomas
in their hands, are not unknown by any
means. As long as the people are ig-
| II L.