The unconstitutional and illegal proceedings of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society / by William Dickinson.

  • Dickinson, William.
Date:
[1853]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The unconstitutional and illegal proceedings of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society / by William Dickinson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    cards of admission to the several courses of lectures to Members, Associates, and registered Apprentices, on application, free of charge.” [Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. xi. p. 151.] 5. I have advocated the necessity of the Society giving up the edu- cational portion of its establishment, not only from the enormous pecuniary loss arising therefrom, but also from the admitted and established fact, that the functions of education and examination are considered incompatible by the highest authority ; more especially when the examination is conducted, and the diplomas or certificates are granted, under an Act of Parliament. The school, it is stated in your Journal, “ has always been a heavy drain upon the funds of the Society.” [Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. xi. p. 98.] 6. The founding of a pharmaceutical medal, to be given by the Council of the Society as a reward for proficiency and research in the various sciences relating to the practice of pharmacy, is a proceeding which I can claim the honour of having first introduced to the notice of the Council, and it affords me some little gratification to be able to mention here, that the Council adopted that proposition without a dissentient voice. 7. On the Pharmacy Act I was mainly instrumental in making the voting clause, what doubtless it was intended to be, but which it was not, a clause that would make voting by proxy a reality. 8. I have opposed the admission of gentlemen on the register of “ Pharmaceutical Chemists,” who were not Members of the Society at the time of the passing of the act, or who have not passed the Major Examination and paid the usual fees. Previous to the passing of the Pharmacy Act, the Charter, and the then subsisting Bye-laws, did not contemplate the establishment of the new “ order” of “ Pharmaceutical Chemists.” These Bye-laws were in force until May 1853, at which date the present Bye-laws came into force. The title of “ Pharmaceutical Chemist ” and the “ register ” were established by the Pharmacy Act. The act is explicit. By the 6th section, the privilege of being registered as a Pharmaceutical Chemist, and of assuming that title, is exclusively restricted to the then members of the Society; and the 10th section points out how other Chemists and Druggists might enjoy the same privileges, namely, by passing the prescribed examination, and paying the fees. All persons, therefore, whether in business or not, before or after the date of the Charter (February 18, 1843), before or after the passing of the Act (June 30, 1852), not members of the Society, must, by this section, submit to the ordeal of an examination and pay the fees, before they can be registered as “ Pharmaceutical Chemists,” or assume the title, or even become registered Members of the Society. The 12th section expressly declares that from the 30th June, 1852, it shall not be lawful for any person not being then (namely, June 30, 1852) duly registered as a Pharmaceutical Chemist, according to the pro- visions of the Act, to assume or use the title of Pharmaceutical Chemist or Pharmaceutist, in any part of Great Britain, or to assume, use, or exhibit, any name, title, or sign, implying that he is registered under this Act, or that he is a Member of the Society.