The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-04-19
VOL. XII.
NECESSARY TO PUBLIC SAFETY.

1t is to be regretted that the bill for
regulating the practice of pharmacy
was not made law. The committee
reported against its passage and there
the matter rested, when the measure
is really of vital Importance. Law
regulates the practice of medicine,
and it fails to regulate the practice
of pharmacy, upon which all medical
practice depends. The pharma-
cist ought to be thorough
ly educated in his profession,
for the doctor when called to ad-
minister to the sick, is forced to resort
to the pharmacist for the drugs
with which he expects to eradicate
disease and to build up languishing
systems. The pharmacist should be
an adept in distinguishing drugs
and in compounding them. He should
be able through education to discover
the frauds and errors of manu-
facture, should be able to ap-
ply the chemical tests neces-
sary to prove the genuineness
of that upon which health and life
depends. 1t was for these purposes
that the bill was introduced, and why
it should have been defeated in COM
mittee, by even doctors, is hard to un-
derstand. 1t was proposed therein to
make it an offense for any person to
conduct pharmaceutical store for re-
failing or compounding or vending
medicines, not under the super
vision of qualified pharma-
ceutist. The qualifications were
fixed as follows: That any person in
order to be qualified should he twenty
one years old and graduate
in pharmacy, or have had four
years practical experience in prepa-
ration of physicians prescriptions in
compounding and vending medicines,
or shall he an assistant in pharmacy;
that graduates in pharmacy should be
such as have obtained a diploma from
VI
pharmacy, that requires not less than
four years experience in stores where
prescriptions Of medical practitioners
have been compounded before said
diploma is issued; that phar-
macists claiming the right
of being qualified under the
act should at it's organization show
to the satisfaction of the board of
pharmacy, to be created by the act
that they have had the requirements
specified in regard to them; that assis-
tants in pharmacy should be twenty
one years old, have had four years ex-
perience in stores where prescriptions
of medical practitioners have been
prepared, and have passed a sat
isfactory examination before the
board of pharmacy of Texas. The
committee thought the bill was in ad-
vance of the age; that it was requir-
ing great precaution in the country
while it was proper only in the larger
towns and cities. The argument is a
poor one, for the lives of country
people are just as precious as
those of town and city people.
There are places in the country
where worthless and wasted drugs
are sold, from which all medical and
curative qualitives have fled. Some
of these drugs have been kept through
q generation, and possess about the
same efficacy as bread pills. Too many
such worthless compounds are sold
even in the towns, and they will be
sold to the danger of health and life
until the law steps in and pro-
vides that drugs and medical
compounds shall be sold only by those
who know what they are. The bill
was prepared by committee of phar-
macists, appointed by the Texas phar-
maceutical association, and it is in
conformity with laws in force in
other states. This association meets
on the 8th of May in the city of Aus
tin, and it is hoped, instead of being
disheartened, its members will renew
with more zeal their efforts in behalf
of law most necessary to public
safety