IT was little expected by the Colledge of Physicians, that after ( [...]) they had openly declared in their Publick Assembly, that none of them would oppose the Apothecaries Bill, and some perhaps beyond their Duty had actually assisted them therein, they should for all that find themselves frequently reflected upon both in their Publick Papers and Pleadings to the Two Houses of Parliament, which occasions this Short but Necessary Vindication of the Colledge and Faculty.
The chief thing the Apothecaries would insinuate, is their great Charity, especially to the meaner Sort of People and Servants, which they pretend to be under their immediate Care, intimating thereby that the Physicians will do nothing for Charity to the Poor; but this is so far from being true, that frequent Complaints have been made to the President, and Censors of the Colledge, of their Extortions and Unreasonableness in their Bills to the poorer People; and whereas the Physicians are always ready to give Advice gratis to the Poor in their Several Wards, both in the City and Suburbs, and are obliged so to do by a standing Order of the Colledge (which was formerly by them presented to the Lord Mayor, and the Court of Aldermen, to be publisht in the several Wards) yet the Poor can have no benefit thereby, because of the excessive Rates the Apothecaries demand for the Physick; whereas would they sell their Medicines to the Poor either for their intrinsick Value, or at moderate Prices, the Physicians having obliged themselves to take care of the Poor gratis, this Order might be effectual, and for the Publick Good.
The second thing they recommend themselves for, is their diligent Attendance upon Sick Persons of all sorts, Day and Night, and we acknowledge they are very busy to make themselves necessary in all Families; but this is plainly for their own Profit, to promote their Private Practice, which under the notion of giving Physick to the Poor, they would subtilly introduce and establish, being in the mean time well paid for the Physick they give to the meanest. And for the Rich, they find an opportunity by their pretended Care and Sedulity to ingratiate themselves with the Patients, whilst in the mean time their true intent is to spy what Bottles are empty, to find fault with the Juleps and Cordials, that they are grown sour and want renewing; and so take occasion by frequent repeating of the Medicines on their own Heads, without the Physicians knowledge, to increase their Bills to an incredible Rate, whereby they fill their own Purses, to the great Oppression of the Patient, whom they often also charge for their officious Visits, and sometimes demand Fees for their Advice.
'Tis true, the Apothecaries attendance abroad may in some extraordinary Cases be necessary, but generally their Duty is at home, where they would do the Patient the best Service, in faithfully and carefully making up the Physician's Prescriptions, and preventing their frequent and many fatal Mistakes committed by their Ignorant Boys. But as for administring the Medicines prescribed to the Patient, there is little need of the Apothecaries attendance, which may be very well done without, by the Servants and Nurses, according to the plain Directions in English of the Physician. And the Colledge was so sensible of this, and the many Mistakes made by the Apothecaries in Englishing their Latin Directions, that they made a Statute obliging all their Members to write in their Bills to them, only Instructions for the compounding the Medicine, but to leave Directions in English at the Patient's House for [Page]the use of them. This must needs have much pleas'd the Apothecaries if they had found their frequent Attendance burdensom, and had not had some farther End therein: But they were so far from taking this kindly from the Colledge, though manifestly for their Ease as well as the Publick Good, that they brought down the Lord Chancellor Jeffreys in great Fury to visit the Colledge, though he was at last satisfi'd with the great Reasons the Colledge had for making that Statute.
The third good thing these Men say of themselves, is, That the Publick has as great Benefit by the Exercise of their Profession, (as they call it) as by the Physicians; This is a direct setting themselves upon the same Level with the Physicians: But is the compounding of Med'cines of as great Benefit to the Publick, as the inventing them? Is any of our Apothecaries of as great use to the World, as Harvey, Willis, Bates, nay, old Galen and Hippocrates too. They call their Trade a Profession, and themselves Professors; as well may Cooks and Bakers. They say they are a part of Physick; of the Mechanical part of it they are, but not of the Science of Physick, of which they are no more a part, than those that can make Sage Posset-Drink, and Mace Ale.
The fourth thing they pretend to, is, That 133000 Families receive advantage by their undisturb'd Attendance, as if no Body had to do in these Families but themselves; whereas they most lamentably complain that the Quacks take most of their Business from them; and 'tis true in Fact, that the Face of the Poor being grinded by their Extortion in their Bills, which they are not able to pay, generally apply themselves to the Quacks.
A fifth thing by them openly pleaded, was, That they must needs have as great Skill as any Physician; for the Physician has only his own Prescriptions, whereas they see those of most of the best and learned'st Physicians, and so get great Experience. Indeed had they any true Foundation in the grounds of Physick, did they understand the true natural Philosophy Anatomy, the Seat of Diseases, with their Symptoms, and the Reasons of them, this might be of Advantage to them, as it is to the Young Physicians, who improve themselves in the Universities, in their Travels, and here in Town, by visiting Hospitals, consulting the Files, and frequenting the company of the most eminent Practisers: But they wanting this Foundation, the Argument is just as true, as if the Clerk of the Temple Church should declare, that he must needs be a better Divine than the Learned Master, Dr Sherlock; for Dr. Sherlock only knows what himself knows, and hears himself preach; but he the Clerk hears both him and all the Eminent Divines that usually preach to those Ingenious Societies, and that upon most Subjects and Cases in Divinity, and therefore he must needs be the greater Theologue of the two. It is tedious to pursue these Gentlemen in the rest of their very presumptuous Allegations. In short, what they pretend, is Charity, unwearied diligence to the Sick, and Publick Good, like generous and disinterested Men; whereas pull off the Mask, and you'll find a Liberty of Practice is all they aim at; the rest is Sham and Banter: And indeed the only way to make that plausible Pretence of theirs real Charity, was to find out some means to regulate their unreasonable Bills, which are both burthensom to the Rich, and ruinous to the Poor; which may easily be done, by giving the President and Censors of the Colledge of Physicians power to tax them, or by some other methods the Parliament shall think more fitting, according to the custom of other Foreign Countries. It is hoped, for the encouragement of the Science of Physick, and for the sake of their Younger Sons, (many of which may have a Subsistence from this Faculty) the Parliament will not think fit to give them this their dear Liberty of Practice, the very Diana of all their Hopes.