The
Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 266 No 7130 p39 Scottish celebrations
Don’t be bullied!
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland is celebrating its sesquicentenary.
In 1851, a Pharmacy Bill was placed before Parliament. It required anyone setting
up as a chemist and druggist to have passed an examination in London or Edinburgh.
In anticipation of the Bill’s enactment, which occurred the following year,
the Society’s Council established a board of examiners for Scotland and decreed
that they should be elected annually at a general meeting of Scottish pharmacists.
As a further step towards a Scottish identity, the Council also approved the
establishment of a library and museum in Edinburgh - donating £25 to buy
materials for setting them up.
There have, of course, been other important milestones in the life of the Society’s
Scottish Department. They include the formation of a “North British” branch
as early as 1841 (the Society’s first year), the acquisition of premises in
Edinburgh’s York Place in 1884 and the establishment of the Scottish Executive
in 1886. But 1851 is considered to be the defining moment, when Scottish pharmacy
acquired a unique identity of its own, and we congratulate the Society in Scotland
on its special anniversary.
The sesquicentenary celebrations began on Monday when a dinner took place at
the Palace of Holyroodhouse, attended by invited guests from Scottish pharmaceutical
and political life (see p47). It
was hosted by the Princess Royal, who expressed her gratitude for the support
given by the Society in Scotland to her Princess Royal Trust for Carers (see
p49). Unlike some other health
care professionals, pharmacists regularly come into direct contact with carers
and may be in a good position to understand their problems and even recognise
some of the “hidden carers” whose role goes unacknowledged. The trust provides
invaluable support for carers, and pharmacists throughout Britain could usefully
draw it to the attention of carers who may benefit from the support it can offer.
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Pharmacists should not be put off providing professional services by the bullying
tactics of zealots who oppose necessary developments in health care. The provision
of emergency contraception has been deemed safe and appropriate by a panel of
independent experts (the Committee on Safety of Medicines), the Government,
the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Consumers’ Association, among many
other groups which are concerned with the health and social welfare of vulnerable
young women. Pharmacists are independent professionals who are strong enough
to act according to their own consciences without fear of the views of vociferous
groups and publications which do not represent the balance of opinion in health
care.
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