From Mr N. P. Stidolph, MRPharmS
SIR,—As an amateur student of history I have devised a variant of the ancients' technique of predicting the future by examining the entrails of goats or the arrangement of a set of randomly thrown sticks.
It consists of random scrutiny of the letters page of the PJ. The final clue was provided by "Concerned Pharmacist" (PJ, November 6, p748) and this is my first prediction for the new millennium.
As the shortage of the gap year begins to bite and community pharmacists begin to ask for, and get, sums nearer their true worth, gloom will set in the board rooms of the multiples and supermarkets.
Somebody will call their attention to "Concerned Pharmacist's" letter and they will start bussing pharmacists in from Spain, France and the EC states where there is a surplus.
The language problem will not matter because Tracey and Sharon, armed with their protocol and six months' experience, will do the dispensing. The "pharmacist" will just sit there with his brand new certificate on his lap "supervising".
Mr Lutener's inspectors will do their best to control this, but out will come a very highly paid QC (much more expensive than the Royal Pharmaceutical Society can afford) who will obtain a judgment stating that the Society has no power to intervene in these cases.
The odd fatality will be dealt with according to the Railtrack school of public relations and the average fee of a community locum pharmacist will go down to £3.80 per hour.
N. P. Stidolph
Portsmouth