Christopher Merret

“ Yet I hope no indifferent person, when he knows that I have thus long slighted their weak endeavours, will believe I can now at length have so poor an end as revenge; especially when they shall consider on the one hand, the universal and daily complaints of both Patient and Physician, the great cause they have to do so, and the little hope of a remedy, and on the other, besides that general obligation all men have of doing their Country-men good, and the particular necessity I have of justifying my actions, by leaving the World their judg upon the account I shall here deliver of them. ”

“ Another manifest sign of their endeavour to usurp our Practice is, their absurd calling the sick their Patients, for 'tis most certain that in all reason and language the Physician and Patient only have relation to each other, but not to the Apothecary, who is but a Tradesman, and manual Operator. Now a Tradesman and his Customer, or Chapman, are Relatives each to other, but those Apothecaries who intrude themselves and usurp on our profession, may call their Customers Patients, and that in a true literal sence, when by their ignorance they make them really sufferers under them ”

“ Which my Lord Verulam accounts the great unhappiness both of the States-man and the Physician, both being alike censured by those that know not the bottom and rise of their Actions and Counsels. For how can any man in either make a sound Judgment without a full knowledge of the business it self; and of all the circumstances thereunto belonging; nor in Physic without the concurrent knowledg of the sick mans habit, disease, cause, remedies, and many other particulars necessary to make a clear judgment upon the success? ”

“ Sixthly, Many of the London, and most of the Country-Apothecaries, buy of the whole-sale men, who affirm of one another, especially of such who gain great Estates in short time, that they cannot sell their Medicines honestly made at so low a rate as they do.
Seventhly, I shall need to say little of such distilled waters, as discover themselves neither to smell, nor tast, but shall only recite a known Story of an Apothecary, who chid his man for sending away a Customer that came for Plantan water, telling him there was enough at the Pump. ”

“ Now the great charge of Apothecaries Bills, and nauseousness of their Medicines, appears to be the cause why long habitual diseases, as the Kings Evil, Falling-Sickness, Convulsions, Melancholies, and Winds in the Bowels, Gouts, &c. become seldom relieved, though they may with a constant, facile way, be perfectly cured, where neither the great charge, nor unpleasantness of Medicines, deterr them from a continued necessary use of Remedies. ”

“ Greater respect will be given to such Physicians, as being the immediate instruments of life and health, who will derive unto themselves that which is now given to the Apothecaries, which proceeds chiefly from fear lest they should do the Patient hurt; and so their honour will be doubled, which every Physician looks principally at; but the Apothecary being not so far concerned, looks chiefly at his own profit, and regards not the Patients charge. For the greater the Patients charge the greater must needs be the Apothecaries gain ”

“ Vapouring and braging of their skill, and decrying Physicians, by talking above the Capacity of those they converse with, who therefore take all they say to be authentick, though never so absurd, and trivial, and many times to set off themselves they will venture to speak Latine commonly as false as the matter, although some of them at Coffee-Houses, and in other mixt Companies, by venturing so boldly have been met with and baffled, and made to depart thence with shame and discredit enough, which their friends and acquaintance take little notice of. ”

“ Hence also will arise an emulation amongst Physicians, who shall exceed each other in noble remedies, and from thence a full and happy improvement of whatsoever God hath created for the recovery of mans health impaired; for from the Physician alone the advancement of Physic is to be expected. How many simples of unknown properties have been brought into use, to the great comfort of the sick? ”

“ He may receive encouragement from what he discovers, that is more then ordinarily useful, whereas by writing Bills, he soon communicates to the ignorant and lazy, who will neither spend time nor money to advance the Art, but while the one is at work to his great charge, loss of time, much pains and trouble, the others seek by petty tricks and Arts to gain a name, and profit from the industrious. Nay some Mountebanks have been set up by purchasing receipts of the Apothecary or his Servants. ”

“ And lastly, that which will leave my Enemies not any objection, I take upon me not only a great trouble, but charge, without any other design then doing mankind good, by endeavouring to restore my profession to its ancient and deserved honours. ”

“ As to their incapacity for Practice, 'tis manifest by their education, and ignorance of all those things which are required in an able Physician, viz. the knowledge of Arts and Languages; by the former whereof men learn the way and rules of observing, and improvements to be made thereon; by the latter, what the learned searchers of Nature have in all Ages taken notice of, necessary, and little enough in an Art so difficult as that of Physic. They are wholy ignorant also of all Philosophy, and the very Elements of the Art, and therefore unskillful in knowing diseases ”

“ Ninthly, But their principal Art of all is, to cry up, and bring in to Patients such Physicians, who through design must comply with the Apothecaries Interest, and such Practisers they extol and cry up for good Physicians, which some of them call more expresly good Apothecaries Physicians, and such without doubt, the whole Company will endeavour to raise unto a fame and practice. But such as write only for the good of the Patient, and not at all for the benefit of the Apothecary (as all honest men ought to do) they will endeavour to prevent their calling in, or to shuffle them out. ”

“ Now since the Cheaters with the Cheatees, most insist on the objection of Poyson; I add to what hath been formerly said; that Poysons are not necessarily to be given in Medicines alone, but may be given in Broaths, Beer, or any other thing taken into the Body, and that without the consultation or knowledg of any Physician, and surely if any one had a mind to Poyson his Relations (an Action abominable to the English Nation) he would rather Act privately himself, having many opportunities offered to him, rather then by communicating it to others, make himself obnoxious to their discovery. ”

“ In Order hereunto they have constantly, both publickly and privately opposed the College in whatsoever hath been offered to setle the liberty of practice on them, their only priviledg and subsistence, though they have been offered all they could desire for the security of their Trade, and legal employment, and far beyond whatsoever any Corporation of Apothecaries in all, or in any forreign part enjoy, yet nothing would ever content them, but an unlawful, unreasonable, dangerous, and destructive Usurpation of liberty to some pretended practice, that thereby they might gain the whole. ”

“ As for the Patients, they may hereby save most of the great charges of Apothecaries Bills, which in long Cases amount to very great sums in a year, although the Physician hath received very few Fees; the Physician may so order his business as to take his Fee for his Visits only, and at home such competent Fees for his advice alone, as are usually given, and in both Cases take nothing for his Medicines, and so save the Patient the whole charge of the Apothecaries Bill, which very seldom comes short, and for the most part manifoldly exceeds the Physicians Fees. ”

“ But if he should communicate to others, 'tis more probable he would communicate it to meaner, and more Mercenary persons, as Apothecaries and Nurses, at a smaller rate and with more security, then reveal such secrets to Physicians, Men of Honour, and Honesty. Furthermore, if any mans life be suspected to be taken away with Poyson, and by opening the body it should appear so (and without which it cannot well appear) the Physician is doubtless as lyable to the Law as any other person whatsoever. ”

“ Tenthly, I shall conclude this ungrateful Discourse, with saying that by reason more frauds may be committed by the Apothecaries, then by any other Trade, and by supposition that gain will tempt most men to dishonest actions, especially where they may act undiscovered ”

“ A second objection wherewith they flatter themselves, is, that the great expence of time in preparing Medicines will keep Physicians from this course. I answer, that the Physician needs not spend much more then half an hour in a day, one with another, on this work, and may faster dispense them then the Apothecaries to Hospitals, who in an afternoon can provide for 100, nay sometimes 200 sick men, and carry them to the Hospital, and dispose them to each single person, which takes up much time, which the Physicians Servants need not be put to. ”

“ And here as well as in other Cases, the Patient is to be rectified, who requires the Physicians Visits, and yet dismisseth him without a reward, unless he writes a Bill, whereas it might have been better if nothing at all had been prescribed, and the Physician left to his own judgment; an hence it is that many enlarge their Bills, that the Patient may think he hath enough for his money, whereby the Apothecary is gratified, who ought to commend the Medicines as necessary for the sick person, and singular in themselves, whereas in truth this great farcy proves ungrateful to the taft and stomach ”

“ Now since (if men judg by the success alone) it cannot be otherwise, but that the most learned Physician, and most sottish Empiric must be thought equal in skill, by those that are not able to make a right judgment and difference betwixt them on other principles. Hence it comes to pass, that where some ignorant person hath cured accidentally a slight disease, and a Physician hath a Patient dye of an irrecoverable Case, here the Empiric shall be applauded, and the Physician decryed. ”

“ But in this way of censuring, the States-man hath this advantage above the Physician, that 'tis possible he may meet with a series of Business so circumstantiated, as seldom or never to miscarry, especially having a greater power over subordinate persons then Physicians have. But the irreversible statute of Heaven forbids us to expect a constant recovery of our Patients, for 'tis appointed, that all men must die. ”

“ Insomuch that there are but few that can judg, and distinguish rightly of either, and no wonder therefore that in their reasonings they commit more absurd mistakes, or Paralogisms then in any other Art whatsoever, and censure Physicians by the success alone. ”

“ And no less ridiculous and absurd to considering persons are, their cantings of themselves, wherewith they no less befool, amuse, and beguile the people; as that by long prayer, and seeking of God, they have had many secrets revealed to them from Heaven. ”

“ Sixthly, I have heard some prudent persons complain of their bringing in their Bills but once in a year, or two; supposing they made them pay Lombards Usury for their forbearance. And through this neglect they sometimes lose their money, and whether they raise other Mens Bills to make up these Iosses, I affirm not.
Seventhly, Another cause of railing their prices is a necessity of keeping in their Shops such Medicines as are seldom used, or such as must upon necessity decay, and grow useless. Now suppose they throw such away, this reason is good, but you will find a remedy for this hereafter. ”

“ I answer, that if needs, one or the other must be ruined, 'tis more reasonable that the Apothecary should suffer then the Physician, because the one acts but his duty, and for the publick good, but the other are transgressors of the Law, and act above the Sphere of their skill, and do many prejudices to the precious lives, and healths of men ”