Chemists and Druggists.

Chemists and Druggists. Up to the passing of the Pharmacy Act of 1868, any one was free to describe himself as chemist and druggist and to prosecute that calling to the best of his ability, untouched by any special legislation. The class, like the Apothecary (q.v.), was in its beginnings closely allied to, if indeed at all distinguishable from, that of merchants and grocers, and never formed a distinct guild, and, until the Pharmaceutical Society was founded, was without permanent organisation. And owing to the absence in Scotland of the apothecaries, as a class distinguishable from druggists, the history of the latter class in that country does not, at least up to the passing of the Pharmacy Act of 1882, correspond accurately with that of their English brethren. The policy these latter pursued for a long period of their history may be described as purely defensive, and any organisation they formed was in response to some attack from one of the other orders. As early as 1802 such a defensive association was formed, and from 1812 to 1815 engaged in very active opposition to the bill promoted by the 'Associated Apothecaries.' One of the objects of that bill was to bring the chemists and druggists under the control and surveillance of a body consisting chiefly of apothecaries, on which the chemist and druggist was not represented at all. The upshot was that the promoters of the bill introduced a clause into the Act of 1815, which it was understood at the time would completely exempt the chemist and druggist from the operation of the bill. In spite, however, of this understanding, which seems to have been respected for twenty-six years, the bill was in 1841 made use of to punish a chemist and druggist for prescribing medicine, although that was a function which, rightly or wrongly, he had exercised previous to 1815. In 1841 a bill again threatened to subject the chemist and druggist to the control of the apothecaries, but was at length defeated. It now became evident, not only that a permanent society to protect the interests of the craft was necessary, but that the only wise policy was to educate and organise themselves in such a way as would deprive the physicians and apothecaries of any excuse for further interference. This led to the formation of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, which was founded in 1841 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1843. As declared in the charter, the main objects of the society were those of 'advancing chemistry and pharmacy and promoting a uniform system of education of those who should practise the same; and also for the protection of those who carry on the business of chemists and druggists;' and to enable it to carry these out successfully the society appointed professors and examiners, and afterwards proceeded to promote a bill in parliament for the recognition and protection of the titles they proposed to confer on those who passed the examinations. This was naturally a work of time, and in the meanwhile an important act in relation to the sale of poisons—viz. the Sale of Arsenic Act (1851)—was passed, and drew the attention of government to the absence of a definite class of persons qualified by training and education to have the custody and sale of poisonous substances intrusted to them; so that this to some extent led up to the passing of the first Pharmacy Act of 1852. The main result of this act was to create a class of 'Pharmaceutical Chemists,' alone empowered to use and exhibit that or any equivalent title, and consisting, 1st, of those already members of the society; and 2dly, of such persons as should pass the examinations, as conducted by its two Boards in England and Scotland. The bill, as passed, involved no compulsion on any persons to go through these examinations, nor did it confer any privilege or monopoly on the pharmaceutical chemist except the exclusive right to that title. The dispensing of medicines and sale of poisons was still left open to any one who chose to engage in it. Nor was it till the Act of 1868 that the term chemist and druggist came to signify a specially qualified person or one possessing exclusive rights. By that act all persons not in business on their own account prior to 1st August 1868, had (except some who for a time were allowed to pass a 'modified examination') to pass two Preliminary and the Minor Examinations, and after that were entitled to have their names placed on the 'Register of Chemists and Druggists for the United Kingdom;' and no person who was not on that register could legally use the title, or (with certain exceptions in favour of physicians, apothecaries, veterinary surgeons, &c.) sell or dispense certain poisons specified in schedules to the act. Any person wishing to use the style 'Pharmaceutical Chemist,' had to pass a further examination called the 'Major,' and thus arose the two grades in what we may now call, in view of its educational qualification, the profession of pharmacy.