The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-08-25
REGULATE by LAW THE PRACTICE
OF PHARMACY

up a physician prescription, whereby 1
poisonous ingredient was accidentally sub
stituted for the one ordered, the two bottle:
being in close proximity and the materis
in them of sameness OF color. Whether the
clerk was halfawake at night, or whether
the unhappy blunder was committed be
cause OF ineiliciency we do not know, but
when such things occur We become the
more impressed with the great Tospons.
bility of the druggists work aud feel
that it ought to be In some way or another
better guarded against in the line Of inei
iiciency at least. 1.-THE last annual meeting
OF the Texas State Pharmaceutical associs.
ton II was proposed to have the next legis.
lature pass u law TO regulate the business.
This was a step In the right direction in
the Interest of that great and growing
science practically coincldent with the
development Of chemistry and which has
for its object the preparing, preserving,
compromising and dispensing of substances
for medical purposes. Ever since the
reign of HENRY VIII. pharmacy and the
practice Of physic have had the benefit OF
legislation in England, practitioners being
required at first to pass satisfactory cx-
animation before the bishop OF London and a
about the same time that the Surgeons and
BARRIERS were Incorporated, they having n
mutual understanding that the former we've
not 10 shave and the BARRIERS were not to
practice surgery, except to extract teeth
The apothecaries followed, these being then
only the assistants Of the practicing physi.
clans. How different the apothecaries of to.
day, our pharmacists, differed from their
old-time brothers, may be recognized when
we recollcct that the latter used to firmly
believe in the efficacy of the
blood stone to stop hemorrhage, be.
cause small specks of blood were
exhibited on its green surface; nettlc tea
was good for nettlerash; turmeric, being
yellow, cured jaundice. Then, too the
practice of suspendlng from the neck sub
stances designed to be preventative against
diseases, under the idea that all poisons
possessed mutual elective affinity for each
other aud would thus so to the suspended
article instead Of to tho heart, the lungs,
the throat, etc, just as the lightning will
be attracted toward the steel rod and so be
diverted from the building about which il
hangs. The reader. in this connection,
must readily recall tho apothecary of
II do remember an apothccary
In tatieted weeds. Meagrc were hi, looks,
Sharp misery had worn him to the bones.
Aud in his needy shop tortoise hung.
An alligator stuffed, aud other skins
OF ill-shaped fishes. Abou, his shelves
Green earlhen pots, bladderS and musty seeds,
Remnants OF packthread and cakes of roses
Were thickly scattered"
Aud yet strange to say, there are in THIS
enlightened age,and in this country persons
calling themselves pharmacists, who are
not much more learned than this fellow of
Mantua. mere mountebanks, permitted to
deal with human existence rs though 1t
were plaything, plying All avocation that
oven in the 18th century was rcgula.
ted strictly by law, and when these
apothecary halls could DO established in
only certain places, while delegated profes.
sional men had to pass continuous inspec-
ton over them, and where frauds were Sc
verely punished. Even Arabians are more
careful, their generals dceming it part.of
their duty to inspect every now and then
medicine chests Of the army and STU.
pervising the purveyorship department.
The calling of the druggist is an honorable
one truly, his duties iearhlly responsible.
From his handiwork, when no Is through
with the prescription he compounds, there
Is no appeal. 1.-The has committed an error
II may be ut the expense the life the ply.
stefan designed to save. Yea, even il the
latter himself shall have made blundcr
the druggist should be able and alert to de.
tect 1t. This view OF the case was most
happily and clcquently put recently by
COLONEL CARRlNGroN, mayor of Richmond,
who delivered the speech OF welcome to the
Pharmaceutical Association, of that state,
when he said; You stand behind and
shove the medical profession, Just rs an
appellate court stands behind the
weakness and errors of its court
of first resort, for you have to CORE,
the errors in the proportion OF remedies
prescribed, us well as other inaccuracies
What matter, IL that the just Judge directs
Justice to be done il Ignorant or indolent
official fails to do his duty Many u life
has been saved by your superior knowledge
of the proper component parts OF COM
pound many n lingering hour has been
spared to the bed Of pain by you rcctilyinp
the errors OF careless or unearncd physi
clans. In courts OF law, appeals for error
can DO taken not so In your case. You
stand where there is no appellate court
where ERROR consumes the siokcning frame
and saps the lie of man." All this is true
and yet this profession contains in il
to-day some of the veriest charla
tans in the land. II is to correct thi.
evil and to avoid just such criminal blum
ders ms the one we have alluded Il
that the pharmacists of this state have re-
solved on the passage OF n bill by the next
legislature, whereby only duly qualihtt
parties, qualified by study and praciica