Jan, 31.
The experts who have suddly expounded the dangers of Shanghhal's lack of pharmacy control must feel the oppression of what has been called damnable iteration. Just two years ago similar letters appeared in these columns naa oh ation {tributed. Certainly this Journal itself provided an approving leading article which has already been invoked to add point to the relived controversy. Traversing, yet developing it is the duty of a newspaper to encourage the who jate public-spirited enough to persevere in exposing them. The [Council's attitude has been briefly stated: It is not satisfactory. It) admits the abuses; it disclaims the power to tackle them, partly fon the ground of expense and partly—so it is understood—because legal opinion has definitely advised that the Council cannot, under the Land Regulatioas, proceed to the registration of enamists or _medicines. Twelve years ago] the Council's own Commission on the Sale of Poisons reputed on' the subject and recommended the adoption of certain measures of control. Apparently this was counsel of perfection, especially as: tone of the most important roposals was for the ce-ordination of Inspection and control by agreed. Joint action on the part of the three municipal bodies. And the: experience of the Council in instituting the system of voluntary registration of medical practition~ fers does not hold out much hope of really effective official action in dealing with chemists. espon~ sible members of the medical profession. have, in their own in-{terests, established a rough and ready convention which, to a limited degree, safeguards their patients against inaccurate dis-pansing. It would be unfair to. expect these doctors to do. more, especially as their own peafession is_unfortunalely handicapped by laxity of practice in an inter-|q. national community where the conflict of jurisdiction is closely reflected in a sharp divergence: of standards and etiquette.
The public is largely to blame. Shanghai is a happy hunting ground for the quack who—under the loose system prevailing—can acquire the cloak of an apparent Fespectability. which would Genied to him in any other well regulated community. © Si monu-
Gensure should be mitigated by contemplation of the anomatie. of Shanghai's political constitution which effectually bars the decisive faction of the hand of reform. ced, it is remarkable to observe how far Shanghai has gone in the! supervision and control of activities affecting public health, consider-jing the. administrative and legal dimeulties in the way. Nevertheless the case for some mea.sire of protection against the oper tions of the unqualified or partly-qualified chemist is abundantly proved by the facts which have been recapitulated and endorsed by recent' letters to this journal [Much turns on the term *quall fled". Tt is necessary to eliminate racial or national prejudices from the issue. No doubt, it is easy to contend that the certificates emanating from bodies of world wide repute may be accepted as a proper guide. Tu conditions here, application of that rigid test would be more likely to perpetuate than check the prevailing confusion.
is necessary to get down to {to some bedrock minimum of competency on which a reasonable scheme of recognition could be founded. The seriousness of the situation seems to lie in the fact that, were it not for the doctors who form a thin red lue of profection to the public against the advance of hordes of pharmaceufeat ignoramuses, the properly equipped pharmacy would. disappear altogether.
Whether a system of voluntary registration of chemists by. the [Council would be appropriate, assuming the financial difficulties could be overcome, must be a
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.