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THE

PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL.

VOL. II.-No. XI.-MAY 1st, 1843.

MEDICAL REFORM.

THE objects to be attained by medical legislation are, first, to provide the public with qualified practitioners in every department; secondly, to secure to such persons a fair and proportionate amount of remuneration for their labour and skill; thirdly, to restrain ignorant pretenders from doing mischief. That these advantages are not enjoyed in this country is too well known to require demonstration, and numerous attempts have been made, especially of late years, to bring about the desired reformation.

But unfortunately the profession is divided against itself. Ast soon as one party proposes a scheme, and introduces a bill into Parliament, another party commences a violent opposition, and the bill is thrown out. The other party advocates a different measure, which is opposed by the first; fresh schemes are concocted and share the same fate. Thus years roll on-a great deal is said and written on the subject, but little or nothing is done.

At length the members of the government, finding that the profession is unable to legislate for itself, have undertaken to perform the task, and a Medical Bill is shortly expected to appear, under the auspices of the Secretary of State. It is not for us to discuss Medical Reform in all its bearings, we shall therefore confine our remarks to that portion of the subject which relates to Pharmacy.

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It is obvious, that if education be requisite in the prescriber, it is equally so in the person who prepares the remedy, and although the nature of the education in the two cases may differ, as of course it does, the amount should be the same, and the performance of the two offices should be placed under similar restrictions. It would be absurd to lay great stress on the importance of science and skill in writing the prescription, and at the same time to leave the preparation of it to chance. We may therefore conclude that some provisions, with reference to Chemists and Druggists, will be comprised in the Medical Bill, and it is our duty to exert ourselves at the present crisis in establishing our own department on a creditable foundation.

This should not be considered a party question. In advocating a distinct system of education aud examination, and desiring to superintend and manage the same, we are claiming no more than is enjoyed by other bodies. As long as we confine our measures to the regulation and improvement of ourselves, we have no reason to fear any opposition; on the contrary, we are entitled to the support of the medical bodies in carrying out a plan in the success of which the whole profession is interested. But we must not forget that, in order to succeed in this undertaking, we must be united among ourselves—we must merge all minor considerations and party feelings in the attainment of the one grand object, which involves our professional character and independence.

When the question comes before Parliament, we must be prepared to support the views which our experience has shown to be correct, and the public utility of which has been demonstrated and pointed out. It is not by clamorous disputation, and a selfish or inconsiderate application for personal privileges, that we can hope to carry our point; but by a steady and persevering appeal to common sense, and a temperate exposition of the principles which we advocate. By the former course we should excite jealously and provoke opposition; by the latter, we may

hope to prove the justice of our claims, and the public advantage of what we desire to accomplish.

Until the PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY was established, no means existed for effecting the organization of our body without the intervention of others, and in all the plans which were contrived for this purpose, it was proposed to constitute a governing and examining board in which we were to take no part. A nucleus is now formed: we are recognized as a body corporate and politic-we have arranged our plan of education and examination, and by this means we have not only relieved others from the necessity of interfering, but entered upon the management of our own affairs.

But notwithstanding all that has been done-notwithstanding the progress which we have made during a short period of time, it is absolutely necessary to persevere, in order to complete the work which we have commenced. If we relax in any degree, if our members fall off, if we depart from that unity of purpose which has hitherto characterized our proceedings, we may even fall back into a worse position than we were in before we commenced operations. The necessity of some effectual measures for the improvement of our body is no longer disputed, and since we have ourselves laid the foundation of this improvement, the other branches of the profession, being interested in the result, are not likely to observe a failure of our undertaking with indifference, but will naturally take the matter out of our hands if we prove incompetent to the task.

A catastrophe like this would involve our body in lasting disgrace, and we have only alluded to the possibility of its occurrence, in order to point out in the most forcible manner the responsibility of our present position, and the cogent reasons which should induce us to take upon ourselves the duty of providing the public with qualified practitioners in Pharmacy. When we have (as far as regards our own department) attained this, which has been stated as the first object of medical legisla

tion, we may fairly claim for such practitioners an adequate remuneration for their labour and skill, which involves, in some degree, the restraint of ignorant pretenders.

One of the most pressing evils which the trade is at present suffering, is the depreciation of prices; which is occasioned chiefly by the inroads of persons entirely destitute of proper education, with whom it is ruinous to compete, and who are, nevertheless, in many cases, formidable rivals. If there existed an obvious line of demarcation between these persons and duly qualified Chemists-if the public had any correct means of estimating the comparative merits of the two classes, the huxter would lose his trade, although he might offer drugs for sale at less than half-price. This, then, would be a moral restraint upon the unqualified, and an indirect means of ensuring to recognised Chemists and Druggists a more ample reward for their labour. Other restraints and prohibitions might be enacted, but this could not be done effectually until the distinction is completely established. The tares must be separated from the wheat, before the threshing is commenced.

The PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY is gradually accomplishing this separation. In such cases a sudden revolution would be impossible; but we ought to advance steadily, though cautiously, regardless alike of the sneers of those who blame us for doing too little, and the taunts of others who would impede our progress by accusing us of going too fast

TRANSACTIONS

OP

THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY.

LECTURE II.

ON THE POLARIZATION OF LIGHT, AND ITS
USEFUL APPLICATIONS.

BY JONATHAN PEREIRA, M.D., F.R.S.
Honorary Member of the Pharmaceutical Society.;
[CONTINUED FROM OUR LAST NUMBER, PAGE 637].

2. WAVE HYPOTHESIS OF LIGHT.

There are two hypotheses or theories which have been formed to account for the phenomena of light; one of these is called, the projectile theory, or the theory of emission ;—while the second is denominated the wave, or undulatory theory of light.

The first is sometimes called the material or Newtonian theory of light. But as on both hypotheses a fine subtile form of matter is required to account for luminous phenomena, the one hypothesis equally deserves the name of material with the other. Moreover, I cannot understand why the projectile theory is to be exclusively honoured with the name of the Newtonian; for though on some occasions Newton certainly adopts it, yet on others he appears to support the theory of waves.

On the present occasion it is not my intention to enter into any details respecting the projectile theory; for however ably and plausibly it accounts for some optical phenomena, it is manifestly incompetent to explain those which it is the object of this course of lectures to describe.

Light, a Property or Motion.-The wave-theory supposes that light is a property—a motion-a vibration of something. But of what? Euler imagined that the vibrating medium, in dense bodies, was the body itself; through the gross particles of which he supposed the light to be propagated in the same manner as sound. This hypothesis, Dr. Young* declares to be "liable to strong objections;" and he adds, that " on this supposition, the refraction of the rays of light, on entering the atmosphere from the pure ether which he describes, ought to be a million times greater than it is."

Ether. To account for the phenomena of light, philosophers have assumed the existence of a vibrating medium, which has been called the etherial medium, the luminiferous ether, or simply

A Course of Lectures on Natural Philosophy, vol. ii., p. 542. Also Phil. Trans, for 1800.

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