George S V Wills and the Westminster College of Chemistry and Pharmacy: A Chapter in Pharmaceutical Education in Great Britain

The history of pharmacy in Britain during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was shaped by two main influences, namely the advancement of the pharmaceutical sciences, and the efforts of its practitioners to raise their calling to the rank of a recognized corporate profession. The work of the chemist and druggist—the future pharmacist—was an unusually responsible employment in that it supplied the community with medicines and drugs, and handled poisonous substances both for domestic and agricultural use. For the protection of the public it was desirable that chemists and druggists should possess a competent knowledge of their business, as evidenced by a recognized qualification. Thus the practice of pharmacy was gradually regulated by legislation through successive Acts of Parliament; instances of technical uncertainties or questions of professional conflict often led to decisions being sought in the Courts of Law. On more than one occasion the chemists and druggists had to defend their territory from threatened or actual incursions, both from above by the apothecaries and medical practitioners, and from below by general dealers and warehousemen. These interlocking scientific, educational, social and legal aspects have given the history of pharmacy a many-facetted and occasionally somewhat turbulent character, with financial and political overtones possibly more prominent than those prevailing in other scientific disciplines. The practice of pharmacy was gradually elevated from the rank of an occupation to that of a profession, particularly by the institution of a regulating body, the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, and the introduction of qualifying examinations to ensure the professional competence of candidates entering the ranks of its registered members.