A Short View of the Frauds and Abuses Committed by Apothecaries

A Short View of the Frauds and
Abuses Committed by
Apothecaries

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Abuses
Committed by Apothecaries, by Christopher Merrett This eBook is for
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Title: A Short View of the Frauds and Abuses Committed by
Apothecaries As well in Relation to Patients, as Physicians: And Of the
only Remedy thereof by Physicians making their own Medicines.
Author: Christopher Merrett
Release Date: May 27, 2005 [EBook #15910]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRAUDS
BY APOTHECARIES ***

Produced by Paul Murray, Richard Cohen and the Online Distributed
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[Transcriber's Note:
+ Hyphens splitting words across lines have been removed.
+ Original spellings have generally been retained, but the Errata from
the Second Edition (at the end), and a mistake in the Errata (!) have
been corrected silently. The original text can be found in the HTML
version.
+ The Latin epigraph translates as: "They all represent themselves as
Doctors--The Uneducated, The Priest, The Nurse, and The Barber, The
Apothecary, The Old Woman." ]

Imprimatur, Novemb. 13. 1669. SAM. PARKER.

A SHORT VIEW OF THE FRAUDS, and ABUSES Committed by
APOTHECARIES;
As well in Relation to PATIENTS, as PHYSICIANS: AND Of the only
Remedy thereof by PHYSICIANS making their own MEDICINES.
BY CHRISTOPHER MERRETT Dr. in Physic, Fellow of the College
of Physicians, and of the Royal Society.
----Fingunt se Medicos omnes, Idiota, Sacerdos, Nutrix, & Tonsor,
_Pharmacopæus_, Anus.
The Second Edition more correct.
LONDON, Printed for James Allestry, Printer to the Royal Society, at
the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1670

A Short View of the Frauds and Abuses committed by Apothecaries, as
well in Relation to Patients, as _Physicians_; and of the only remedy
thereof by Physicians making their own Medicines.
Doubtless it will seem strange to most men, that after 30 years not
unsuccessful practice in this great City, I should now at last forbear
sending my Bills to the Apothecaries, knowing that hereby a whole
Company of men interested in the World (who by their number, noise,
and tricks, may be able to decry any Physician) will become my
implacable adversaries, and by their private whispers of untrue tales,
will endeavour to their utmost, either to keep me from any new, or
shuffle me out of my fixed imployment. But not fearing the utmost

their malice can invent, or proclaim; I shall publickly assert what I
privately practice, preferring the publick good, and the honour of my
profession before my own private profit. And although I have had some
experience what their groundless anger can do, when they some years
since proclaimed me in their publick Hall their Enemy, for acting the
College Interest, and of late for saving my Patients lives and purses, by
dispencing gratis my Medicines. 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. 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. And had I none of these inducements, I
am sure the vulgar excuse of friends importunities may be satisfactory
to all persons for my publishing what I here do, when I must
acknowledge that many of my Collegues and other Practisers in several
parts, upon reading these papers furnished me not only with some bad
practices of their own experience, but thereupon enjoyed the publishing
of them. So that in these papers I do but speak the common language of
all Physicians, and of very many Patients. Neither are all their frauds
and abuses here inserted, the rest (perhaps more in number) being
reserved to another opportunity. I shall only add by way of preface; that
the last year