APOTHECARIES. (Hansard, 17 June 1833)

§ Mr. Hutt
presented a Petition from medical practitioners of Hull, for the repeal of the Apothecaries' Act.

Mr. Hill
said, he hoped that, as the lawyers had given up the pedantry of writing Latin, the physicians would condescend to give their prescriptions in plain English, which would, perhaps, be the means of preventing some accidents. He rose, however, for the purpose of respectfully suggesting to the hon. Secretary who brought in the Bill the propriety of taking care, that the interests of the provincial schools of medicine and surgery in England were duly attended to in his Bill. Many of them were of high repute, and well they deserved it. He hoped their certificates would be allowed to have their due weight in the new Act. It was of great importance that young men should obtain a good education at home, and not be sent too young to the metropolis; a source of great expense to their parents, and of danger to themselves.

Mr. Ruthven
hoped some steps would be taken, in bringing forward the new Apothecaries' Act, to secure the public against danger from the incompetency of medical apprentices to read prescriptions.

§ Mr. Briscoe
trusted that the Apothecaries' Bill would be referred to a Committee; that certainly no step would be taken to repeal the present law respecting apothecaries, except on the fullest information as to its utility and necessity. It was of the highest importance that the poor and others should be protected 913 against ignorant pretenders to skill in medicine.

§ Mr. Baldwin
complained that the proposed Bill for amending the Apothecaries' Act did not contemplate giving to the Members of the English and Irish colleges the same privileges it was intended to confer on the graduates of two or three of the Scotch Universities.

Mr. Hughes
added his testimony to that of his hon. friend as to the necessity of referring the subject to a Select Committee, to which he hoped the hon. Secretary would have no objection.

§ Mr. Hawes
was of opinion, from the communication he had had with many respectable practitioners, that the subject ought to be referred to a Committee. It was necessary that the poor should be guarded from the practices of ignorant practitioners, as it was the poor who suffered by that ignorance, and not the rich, who could afford to get the best and most talented advice.

§ Mr. Lamb
admitted the importance of the question, and the necessity of not proceeding without the amplest information, but declared, that he considered the privileges at present enjoyed by the Company of Apothecaries were of an injurious and too extensive a character. Although he introduced the Bill, he was not pledged to all the details, and indeed he had deferred it, partly that time might be given to render it as effectual as possible. He thought that, under the present system there was a very injurious monopoly, and that some regulations should be made as to the mode and period of apprenticeship. Under ignorant practitioners the apprentices only learned bad Latin. He should have no objection to the appointment of a Committee to consider the details of the Bill; but he could not consent to refer so large a subject as the whole study of medicine and quackery to the same tribunal. It was his intention to proceed with the Bill this Session.