DOCTORS AND CHEMISTS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18014, 5 March 1924, Page 8

DOCTORS AND CHEMISTS.

THE CODE OF ETHICS.

(BF2CUL TO "THE PRESS."}

DUNEDIN, March 4,

At the Chemists' Conference to-day, speaking as president of the Pharmacy Board of New Zealand, Mr F. Castle said it was satisfactory to know that New Zealand was now practically rid of the practice of providing rooms for medical practitioners in the chemists' shops. It was in the interests of the medical profession and the chemists, as well as the public, that there should be no understanding between the pharmacists and the doctors—no "pulling," as it might be termed. There was one small place in New Zealand' where that sort of thing was not quite abolished, according to what was reported, but as a general thing it was quite done away with. Mr Castle also referred to the working in another way of the code of ethics that acts as a rough guide in the relations between doctors,, chemists, and the public. The reference was to the custom now obtaining of returning prescriptions to the customers. Persons could take their prescriptions to' whichever, pharmacy they, preferred, and he held it to he a duty on. the part of chemists to return them, that course being in the interests of the patients, and advantageous to the medical practitioners. 6