Pharmacomastix, or, The office, use, and abuse of apothecaries explained : the present degenerate state of pharmacy, with its manifold corruptions and adulterations, considered; and some essays on reforming thereof humbly addressed to a Member of Parliament, with intent to shew the necessity of amending and continuing a temporary statute, for preventing frauds and abuses committed in the making and vending unsound, adulterate, and bad drugs and medicines, now near expiring / By the author of the scheme on which the said statute was founded [Charles Lucas].

  • Lucas, Charles, 1713-1771.
Date:
1741
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Pharmacomastix, or, The office, use, and abuse of apothecaries explained : the present degenerate state of pharmacy, with its manifold corruptions and adulterations, considered; and some essays on reforming thereof humbly addressed to a Member of Parliament, with intent to shew the necessity of amending and continuing a temporary statute, for preventing frauds and abuses committed in the making and vending unsound, adulterate, and bad drugs and medicines, now near expiring / By the author of the scheme on which the said statute was founded [Charles Lucas]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    lies. A little artifice can tinfel or varnifh over the moft vile frauds or perfidious negleffs of the unjuft v apothecary. If he can command a brazen front, with an hardened, fervile confidence, it is enough^ all is fafe. For his vaffal apprentices, who only can be privy to his villainy,are hufhed,they are obliged to keep his fecrets without diftinbfion. As Pharmacy is a molt uleful and necefiary art, nay, according to one of the fathers of phyfic the moft ufeful branch of medicine, when in a ftate of purity and perfection, fo it is the moft: pernicious and deftruZUve, when it is not exercifed with the utmoft integrity, care, fidelity and good under- Handing, No knave fo vile, fo dangerous to fociety as a bad apothecary. The rapacious highwayman, apro felled enemy to mankind, bids the unwary tra¬ veller ftand and at the peril of his life part with his money : But the difhoneft apothecary, a more fubtil kind of robber, pretends a friendjhip for his Cufto- nier, yet takes the fame opportunity with the former (which the love of life and health, and dread of death that human Nature is pofteiTed with, amply affords him,) and fo robs thoufands of their fortunes, giving them only fonie vile, ufelefs drug in ex¬ change *, by which their lives are always endan¬ gered and often deftroyed. And yet notwithftand- ing the apothecary is never in the leaft fufpedted ; fo that the orphan may oft pay him for the death of his parents, parents for that of their children, wi¬ dows for their husbands, and fo forth : and perhaps gratefully acknowledge the great care and tendernds of their worthy apothecary, tho9 he might have been more inftrumental to their death than the difeafe. For thefe reafons, the apothecaries have no tem¬ poral advantages in, nor any incitements to honefty or integrity in their calling. For while men can buy the moft bafe and worft commodities, and may without 'f Celfus, See J. D. Horft. In ft, pharmac. Li ii. C. I.