National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1876-03-20
District PHARMACY.
THt sTFTGGLE F0H IIi EUIBlt elaTa1L
FEATURES OF The BILL BEFORE TIE SENATE
WHATPOISOKS TOUSE- HOWPREPARED
Women to Be Excluded fr,m the Trade
RATIONAL COLLEGE WANTS THE MONOPOLY
INDIGNATION OF THE SMALL FRY

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slight notice was given Of the provisions Of the
above bill, which passed the house Of Represents
tiTes on the INST Of February, and the Senate was
asked to scru.fnZe its provisions with care before
stamping It with that approval which is REQUESTS
before Il can become Q law. That all proper and
Necessary safeguards should be thrown around
the business Of compourdIug the prescriptions OF
cur ply sicians ard the sale Of deadly poisons no
one will deny. That proper care should also be
serbpE for the cure Of diseases and to insure that
none bnt genuine medicines and drugs are eN
posed for sale or used in the compromising OF pro-
tcript'ons all will sgree Blu. how far legislation
should Interfere In these matters, and TO what ex
tent prescription should be carried are questions
sidered. in framing House bill No. 1888. There
many schools Of medical practice nearly sll OF
which have disciples within the limits Of this Dis
triet, whore poi ulation is largely made up OF
temporary residents hailing from various sections
Of the country.
The alIopathic homeopathic, hydropathic,
eclectic, magnetic, botanic, clsiryoyant, spirit
ualIstic and probably many other schools are
Represented. Il is POSSIBLE that deadly poisons
enter into the curatives prescribed in these
various schools tn one form or another But how
many Of the schools represented in the
National College Of Pharmacy? Probably but
enc or two at most. And yet the bill under con-
siderafioD proposes virtually TO place the entire
control Of all the pharmacies of The District into
the hancs OF this college, partially supervised by
the Beard OF Health. The latter board numbers
three ply sicisns among It's members. but proDa-
Coles Of Pharmacy Is composed chiefly Of drug
Rists, very few OF whom have probably ever been
graduated a. pharmaceutical schools or passed
the examination Of a competent board OF exanl-
ntrs, and Slid, DO doubt, arc themselves thor
ouI bly, competent to compound the prescriptions
Of their respective schools.
The bill proposes 10 allow the National College
OF Pharmacy to name ten o; IT'S members, from
which the Board Of Health shall select hvs. to
constitute board OF examiners. All pharmacists
now in the business are required 10 register with
this board and pay $ for permit TO continue the
business. This fee Is an extra tax upon our
drEcPiStS which &c ba farmnd nv
to this College of Pharmacy. Hereafter persons
wishing to enter the business here will meet with
c'ier obstacles more formidable than are FORE
Swallowed above. 1t may easily be imagined
what chance q purely botanic or homeopathic
board Of examiners as would be furnished by our
National College. The personal propoun she"
peryades the bill throughout lis entirety thus ig-
norirg women In the profession or business Of
phs, macy. A few more OF the Objectionable fea-
lures OF this proposed law are enumerated as
follows:
First. That 1t prevents all legitima.e competi-
ton IN said business by the provisions OF the first
section: that iL shall be unlawful for any person
not registered pharmacist 10 open auy store for
compoundiDg or dispensing medicines, whether
he be competent or not.
Second. That It makes no provision vhsreby
persons rot practical Pharmacists may enter into
said business on employing competent persons to
conduct the same.
Third. Tha. it prevents any person not resi-
dent OF the District OF Columbia, or not appear
ing before the commissioners of pharmacy within
sixty days from the passage OF this act, from en-.
II
examination and be registered by said commits
sioneTs, thereby making an unjust discrimination
in favor Of persons new engaged in said busisess
Fourth. That it deprlves all persons excsp.
such as have been engaged in the business of
pharmacy for the period Of four years within
the limits OF the District of Columbia Of their
constitutional privilege to enter into sail busI-
ness, and obliges them first to obtain the permits
sion Of the so called commissioners of pharmacy,
the interests Of whom (they being already en-
gagged in the business as provided By the act)
would be hostile to any extension thereof, and in
favor Of contraction, absorption and monopoly.
Fifth. That under the provisions Of the act no
pharmacist, though he may be duly registered,
closes the same or places It in charge of an as
sistant registered pharmacist, under severe
penalty, no matter how short the absence may
be, how great the emergency, or how competent
the person left In charge may be.
Sixth. That the power Of appointment of CON-
missioners is vested In the Board of Health in
stead Of the highest executive authority Of tho
District.
Seventh: Tha: a registration fee is required
from applicants for registration, and must be paid
to the commissioners Of pharmacy.
Eighth; That It provides that on the death of
SELL ms ont ana eSs sbs s1s 81
ness within one year, or become liable to seTsre
penalty.
duct OF the business OF pharmacy pending legal
proceedings.
Tenth. That the provisions of this act dis
courage youug persons IN their efforts to acquire
a competent knowledge of said business.
WORD IN BEHALF OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL
PROFESSION.
WASHINGTON, ID. T., March 10. 1875.
TO the Editor OF the National Republican:
SIR: Permit me to say a few words through
your valuable columns in reg ard to the bill which
has recently passed the House of Re representatives.
regulating the practice OF pharmacy in the Dis
trict Of CoiUinbia.
This bill originated with two or three oficious
druggists IN this city and members Of the Ma.
tonal College OF Pharmacy for the sole purpose
OF forming ring and debarring competent drug
clerks from going into business for themselves
without first having TO place themselves at the
mercy OF q board OF examiners, who no better
qualified as pharmacists than the drug clerk. II
is a welI-EGown tact that large majority of
are bitterly opposed TO the passage of this BILL
It will deprive worthy class of gentlemen of
rights that have never heretofore been questioned
gis;s have been, they caused a clause to be In.
serted in the bill authorizing the College of
Pharmacy to select ten pharmacists, ogt Of which
ten pharmacists the Board of Health is to select
five to constitute an examining board, who are to
examine ell drug clerks before allowing them to
open drug stores for themselves, taxing good
amined. Now If this examination is TO DO in
| the proprietors as we'll? Another Interesting
feature Of this bill is register" TO bc opened,
where the names of the proprietors Of drug stores
| they are practical pharmacists or not, and the
names Of all the drug clerks are 20 be registered
as assistants. and for this magDanimous privf-
sistant pharmacist 81 This revenue goes TO the
support Of the National College of Pharmacy, as
| provided for in the bill. Should one OF the as
l. sstant pharmacists desire to open q store for
himself be must submit TO an examination, and,
| If he passes successfully, ne must pay an addl
tonaI fee Of S., thus practically making the COM
pttent drug clerk pay q more than the phsrma.
cist, who escapes the examination and additional
payment ofS2.
The clerks are competent pharmacists so long
as they remain such, whether for ten, twenty or
Thirty years; butthe moment they wish to engage
| in business for themselves, law confronts them
depriving them Of this right, and hence they are
naturally opposed to this unjust measure and
gross imposition. As this bill was gotten up in
the interest Of two three druggists, under the
guise Of the National College OF Pharmacy, and
has passed the House Of Representatives without
being properly inquired into is to be hoped that
the Senate, when the bill comes up, will take no
basty steps, but will look carefully into the mat
ter and see how atrocous this measure Is, and its
ultimate failure will not only make glad the
hearts Of all drug clerks and apprentices, but
large majority of the proprietors Of drug stores.
By all means let the Senate reject this ring meas
ure, so haEtily passed by the House Of Rcpresen-
! tatiyes. VERITAs.
CataIIh, Deafness and Affection Of tbs Ears