Report from the Select Committee on Pharmacy bill : together with the proceedings, minutes of evidence and index.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Pharmacy Bill.
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report from the Select Committee on Pharmacy bill : together with the proceedings, minutes of evidence and index. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    169/258 page 159
    2 59 which may abuse the trust reposed in it as much as the others have done ; it may become a trading corporation; your present president and your vice-president are wholesale druggists. 2304. Chairman.] No; the vice-president is a retail druggist?—Knowing that in other corporations men can put money into their pockets in various ways, and I shall have no difficulty in showing that they have endeavoured to fill their own pockets ; they have had no regard for the general welfare of the public, nor for the good of science ; the history of all of them proves this, and, therefore, I think we should hesitate before giving such powers to this corporation. 2305. Mr. Wyld.] Your objection is to medical corporations in general ?—Yes ; I think we ought to have a faculty of medicine, and the senate ought to appoint a body to examine chemists and druggists ; I think also that the term chemist and druggist” is better than that of “ pharmaceutical chemist,” for the term “ phar- maceutical chemist ” implies more than the qualification which these gentlemen possess. 2306. Mr. Wakley.] To whom would you refer the bye-laws for confir- mation ?—I would have a general senate to regulate medical affairs, and this senate should, I think, regulate and adjust the examinations ; I have most important evidence here in a small compass, and if such evidence has not been given to the Committee, I think its practical import will at once be seen. 2307. As there is no present probability of our having the senate to which you refer, and as there is a probability that this Bill may be enacted into a law, I should like to know to whom you would refer the bye-laws of the council for confirmation or approval ?—Then I think it would be better that the Bill should not pass, than that you should allow this body to enact its own bye-laws. I think the confirmation of them by the Secretary of State affords no protection. 2308. If the Bill should pass, to whom would you in the Bill provide that the bye-laws should be referred for confirmation or approval. Would it be satis- factory to you if they were referred to the colleges?—Not at all. I do not think they are to be trusted. 2309. Nor to the Secretary of State, with due notice to medical colleges?—I think a body of men might be appointed by the Secretary of State to approve or not approve of these bye-laws; but I think, that if they were referred to the Secretary of State, whose mind would be occupied with other matters, the most unjust and direful consequences might result. 2310. Would you prefer referring them to two judges of the superior courts ?— I do not think they would be competent to do it; and unless you have a national faculty of medicine, 1 can see no chance of framing any measure which will be salutary and beneficial to the public. 2311. Chairman.'] Suppose at a future time such a provision as you de- scribe were to be introduced, and that a medical senate were to be appointed, would it not be very easy in that Bill to substitute the senate for the Secre- tary of State, in reference to the supervision of the bye-laws. You are aware that it was in contemplation to have such a senate some time ago, and that that senate would have been in the position in which it is proposed to place the Secretary of State ; would there be any objection, seeing that that has not been done, to making the education of chemists and druggists as perfect as possible now, and introducing subsequently the jurisdiction oi such a senate when it exists ?—I think there would be no objection to the passing of this Bill, if the powers which are conferred by it were more restricted. I think that to compel chemists and druggists to undergo an examination is most necessary ; but I think there should be no exceptions, and that you ought not to allow some men to belong to this society, and others not. In England not a single man has distin- guished himself as a pharmaceutical chemist, whereas on the Continent most valuable discoveries have been made by them. 2312. Is not the fact of their not having distinguished themselves in this country to be attributed to the want of legislation ?—Yes, proper legislation. 2313. Do you not think that the best method of rectifying the evil is to com- mence by introducing a law which shall provide for their education?—But con- nected with this subject there are many things that are antagonistic to everything connected with science. With reference to what has been said as to the amount paid to Government for patent medicines, I may state that 1 have taken the trouble to investigate the returns for 38 years, and I find that the Government has received 0.42. u 4 1,396,000/. E. Crisp, Efq., M. D.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3