PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY

Hokitika Guardian, 8 March 1930, Page 2

PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

ADVANCES REPORTED AND PROJECTED.

THE HERMITAGE, March 5

The eleventh annual conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand opened this morning. There were twenty-one delegates in attendance, including three women. Mr H. A Papprill, president .of the Canterbury Division, was-chairman.

In welcoming the delegates the chairman said that it was eight years since the Canterbury Division last had the pleasure of entertaining the delegates in Christchurch. . Instead of holding the conference in town, they had decided to hold it in the midst of this grand and glorious scenery, to give delegates, especially those 'from the North, the idea that the . South Island had scenic resorts equal to any in other parts of the Dominion. 'The Tourist Department was inclined to lpt people believe that the North Island possessed the scenic resorts, and that New Zealand ended at Wellington.

Since the previous conference, the Dangerous Drugs Acts had got into good working order, despite fears that it would prove cumbersome and troublesome. A matter of great interest was Pharmacy Week which had been held during the paßt two years The Canterbury Division took it up very keenly, and good competitions for the best window display ,hnd taken place. That, linked up with newspaper advertising, bad created been interest not only amongst chemists, but also amongst the public.

PHARMACY BOARD

Mr It. R. Parnham, chairman of the Pharmacy Board, said that lie was 'very pleased to see that they had three women chemists present—the greatest number that had attended any of , their conferences. The board had had a fairly heavy year, and he thought that it had done a fair amount of good work. They had been hitting up the drug stores with no registered managers, and had been successful in getting a conviction in Wellington. If they had a few more, the trade would be cleaned up. They had been busy on the Pharmacy Bill, and had attained a fair amount of success. The Minister of Health, the Hon A. J. StnUwqrthy, had taken a very sympathetic'interest in it. anil also had the Health Department.

Some of their fellow-members had suffered by last year’s earthquake on the West Coast and the funds raised by the board and distributed in accordance with the recommendations of Mr George Castle a member of the board, had nroved of timely assistance. The divisions had responded splendidly to the appeal for subscriptions to the benevolent fund, and had subscribed between £4O and £SO. There were 700 chemists in New Zealand, and, from misfortune or from age, some needed a little extra assistance, and the board could do a wonderful work if it l ad a little in hand in this fund.

SCHOOL OF PHARMACY,

At a full meeting of the board held the previous day, they had come to a decision regarding a building in Web lington which it was hoped would be the nucleus of a School of Pharmacy. Owing to the foresight of prevnis boards, they possessed a property on Lac! v'rlge Terraco which had brer bought for £1330 and was now valued at £6OOO. There was an old two-storey house on it, used as an all-night pharmacy. The time was considered oportune to erect a new building in which the School of Pharmacy would be started as a correspondence school, with a man in residence. The all-night pharmacy would take port of the new building and the other frontages would be let as shops. Mr C. Farquharson, at the instance of the board, had prepared an outline of the history of the board, a copy of which each chemist would receive.

PRICE-CUTTING.

Another matter he desired to touch on, said Mr Parnham, was the increasing number -of departmental and other cut rate stores they were getting in the Dominion. He did not think that they, as '•chemists, needed to be unduly alarmed. To his mind it was only a question of keeping up their quality and their status in order to retain their trade. There was a large number of people who would go to cut rates stores, but there was a great number who were attached to chemists’ shops, and it depended on the chemists whether or not they retained them.

EXPENSIVE REMEDIES.

Matters relating to the preparation or adoption of a formulary formed the subject of the first three remits. One off these suggested a conference with the British Medical Association concerning the prescribing of expensive proprietary remedies anti the effect of such proscribing on the public, the objects in view being: 1) The adoption of the Australian formulary; (2) the BVitfl’sh MedjcaJ Association of New Zealand issuing its own formulary; or i.Ti a formulary being issued by a committee of the British Medical Association and the Pharmaceutical Society. An interesting discussion ensued in the course of which the chairman gave particulars of the endeavour made by the Canterbury Division to interest the medical men who attended the recent

conference of the British Medical Association at Christchurch in the subject. A committee had gone through the formulary and picked out what were considered the most useful of the formulae had then made up in bulk and arranged an exhibit in pound bottles and jars. They had aiso put up 850 samples which, with copies df an explanatory circular, were distributed to the medical men. The intention was to import their own drugs and make up the different preparations in Christchurch, thus reducing their cost and providing a uniform product. Mr E. Smith said the Canterbury Division was to be congratulated and thanked for their handling oi the matter. They had, iie said, all bad experience of tilings ordered for patients whom they knew were unable to pay 20s and 30s for tablets arid elixirs. If they could do something in the way of providing the same remedy at a lower cost they would be doing a great work.

Mr H. M’Kinny (Auckland) suggested that it would pay the chemists of Dominion to employ a man to go round the Dominion and explain the formulary to each doctor. Mr Jas. Waters (Dunedin) also congratulated the Canterbury Division and that, if the scheme were brought into operation, a trade maib be adopted. Mr C. S. Burbery (Wellington) said that they should have sufficient power to see that the preparations turned out were their own exclusively, sd that they could not be made by others. The conference arrived at a general agreement regarding the remits, and set up a specinl committee to bring down conoerete proposals,

PHARMACY WEEK,

There were two remits dealing wth Pharmacy Week, but one suggesting that it should be held twice annually in spring and autumn, met with little support, and it was not agreed to There was general agreement on the proposal thatPharmaey Week shbuld be held during the same week throughout the Dominion, and this was agreed to. It was proposed that Pharmacy Weew should be held in May. An objection was taken that there would not be sufficient time to organise it for that month this year, and a compromise was arrived at, whereunder the second week in June was agreed to for this year and a week in May for succeeding years. A committee was set up to bring down proposals for the observance of Pharmacy Week.

Other remits agreed to included the 'following:— “That it be a recommendation to chemists to elimate the word ‘pharmacy,’ using instead ‘pharmaceutical chemist,’ ‘pharmacy’ being associated with unqualified ownership, and therefor not an advantage.” (Wellington Division.) “That as the maintenance of public health concerns the pharmaceutical profession ns well as the medical profession. registered pharmacists, as well ns registered medical practitioners, should be included on the Board of Henlth.” (Auckland Division.) “That the Health Department be asked employ a registered pharmaceutical chemist in an advisory capacity, and to appoint one to the Board of Health.” (Wellington Division.) •‘That the attention of the Minister of Health be again drawn to the loose methods- adopted by packers of drugs for use by the public, with a strong recommendation that all packing houses should he under the direct supervision of a pharmaceutical chemist.” (Auckland Division.) “That a protest be made to the Labour Department against classing the chemist’s dispensary as a factory in terms of the Factories Act.” (Wellington Division.)

“That this conference views with concern the possible introduction of automatic drug-selling machines, and urges upon the Government the desirability of preventing the introduction of such machines.” (Otago Division.) At the close of its business to-day the conference adjourned till Friday. To-morrow will be spent in a visit to the Tasman Glacier. Guides will be taken, so that those who wish can go on the ice. The party will consist of about forty.