A letter to Sir Francis Milman, Bart. M.D. President of the Royal College of Physicians, on the subject of the proposed reform in the condition of the apothecary and surgeon-apothecary, with an appendix containing the correspondence between the general committee and the three corporate medical bodies, by one of the committee.

Date:
1813
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A letter to Sir Francis Milman, Bart. M.D. President of the Royal College of Physicians, on the subject of the proposed reform in the condition of the apothecary and surgeon-apothecary, with an appendix containing the correspondence between the general committee and the three corporate medical bodies, by one of the committee. 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.

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    XXT or even common Education, may assume with impunity the character and functions of the Apothecary. This is a great source of evil both to society and themselves, and the neces- sity of preventing it by the establishment of adequate regular tions is sufficiently obvious, and universally allowed. The Royal College of Physicians have acknowledged it, by having recently suggested a plan for its attainment. Such an order of things could certainly never have existed were it not for the extreme difficulty of judging of the real merits of Medical men, which exposes the Public to the imposition of Pretenders, whose ignorance and confidence are generally commensurate. Hence it is surely of the highest importance that there should be some Authority for examining and deciding upon the qualifica- tions of all Persons who may hereafter intend to practise as Apothecaries, Surgeon-Apothecaries, or Midwives, or to act as Compounders and Dispensers of Medicines. The Committee with deference conceive that Apothe- caries and Surgeon-Apothecaries are entitled to additional regard from the consideration, that the numerous Medical Practitioners required for the service of the Army, Navy, Merchants’ ships, and our very extensive Colonies, chiefly derive the rudiments of their education from those branches of the Profession. It is notorious, that the public service has frequently been distressed from the small number and inefficiency of Medical Persons applying to be appointed, in consequence of few comparatively being now regularly edu- cated under Apothecaries. ^ Another subject of complaint is the unfortunate mode of remuneration which custom has established—a mode which is repugnant to the feelings, of every liberal and conscientious mind, and equally obnoxious to the Patient and the Prac- titioner. In proposing a difierent method, the Committee are fully aware that moderation will best insure the counte- nance of the Public; and therefore suggest that the present