Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-11-06
PHARMACY.
Movement to Stir Up Maine
State Board.
Secretary Frank R. Partridge Talks Upon the
Subject.

Secretary Frank X. Partridge, of the
Maine board of the commissioners of
pharmacy:
The registered druggists of Maine
promise something interesting in the near
future unless all signs fail. Their move
ihents just now are being quietly made
In order that the best of evidence NAV be
obtained to support their case, which
theJ' propose to lay before the Maine
board OF commissioners of pharmacy.
The publication of this article will prob
ably be a surprise to them as they have
been very reticent about the matter and
IL was by the merest accident that IA re
porter caught the scheme on the wing.
III Is an old story but to be revived with
vlgor. The apothecaries' law passed in
1877 by the Maine Legislature created a
board Of commissioners of pharmacy, and
section 4, chapter 379 of the Public Laws
OF that year contains the following re-
qulrements: every person not now
registered, unless he was engaged in the
business of an apothecary in the State of
Maine on the eleventh day of March, 1877
who continues in, or hereafter enters on
the business of an apothecary, shall be
examined by the commissioners and shall
present to them satisfactory evidence that
he has been an apprentice, or employed
in an apothecary store where physicians
prescriptions are compounded at least
three years, or has graduated from some
college of pharmacy, and is competent
for the business. and the commissioners
may then grant him certificate and
registry.
And now the registered druggists of
Maine. particularly those of Lewiston,
Portland, Biddeford, Rockland, Gardiner,
Augusta, Wateryille and Bangor, are to
rise up and demand of the commissioners
Of pharmacy that this registry law be
vigorously enforced They will hold that
the law was passed for the benefit and
safety of the public at large, and they
themselves, who have passed successfully
the critical examination of the board of
commissioners are entitled to protection
in their business
There are in the State many so-called
premiership as the law requires, who are
not familiar with the first rudiments of
the business, who are incompetent in
every way, menacing the lawful knight
of the mortar and pestle, and endangering
the safety of the public at large by reason
of mistakes in compromising medicines,
as has but too frequently been the case in
Maine.
The druggists hold also that men who
have little capital and without the
slightest knowledge of the business, have
opened drug stores" that have served,
and are serving the purpose of a screen
behind which another statute of the State
is violated. They claim this is an insult
to legitimate business, where there is
no registered apothccary presiding over
the business of the place For this and
other reasons of the rational kind the
druggists of Maine propose to request and
even compel the board of commissioners
of pharmacy to enforce the law relating
tn registered apothecaries.
Section of chapter 379 of the Public
Laws of 1877 provides the following:
1T is hereby made the duty of the
county attorney in each county, upon
complaint of said commissioners to prose-
cute all violations of the provisions of
this act
Tho commissioners evidently have
grown Indifferent in the matter of enforc
ing the law and it Is now the plan to see
If the board can not be stirred up little.
This matter being of much Importance to
not only the registered druggists but the
public at large, the proposed move will be
watched with interest
"That is first rate calculated MIR.
Partridge, showing no trace of having
suffered any qualms of conscience or
having been injured in any vital spot by
the information contained in the article,
"that is just precisely SO, as far as it
goes. but it should be distinctly under
stood that the province of the commits
sioners is confined, and that it is neither
an inspective nor legislative function,
I mean by inspective' that it is not the
duty of the commissioners to hunt up
cases for indictment, neither is 1t within
their power to perform any enforcement
of law. 1t is within their province, how
ever, to bring before the county attorneys
any case reported to them, and this, to
the best of my knowledge has always
been done.
IT have known many cases of neglect on
the p,rt of district attorneys to properly
attend to cases which have been referred
by US to them.