History of pharmacy and women

A short history of pharmacy and women

By W. A. Jackson, MSc, FRPharmS

This article looks at the position of women in the pharmaceutical profession in the early part of this century

When the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain was founded in 1841, it was tacitly understood that its members would be men, in spite of the fact that many women were successfully performing the duties of chemist and druggists, often in businesses which had originally belonged to a husband or father. Indeed, Jacob Bell considered women chemists to be an indication of the backward state of pharmacy in areas where they practised.¹

Pharmacy education

The Pharmacy Act of 1852 made provision for an examination, and those who passed it were entitled to have their names entered on the Register of Pharmaceutical Chemists² which was established in 1853.³ However, application for membership of the Pharmaceutical Society was not obligatory. The 1868 Pharmacy Act set up an another examination which entitled successful candidates to be registered as chemists and druggists.⁴ These examinations became known as the major and minor examinations, respectively. This Act also established a new register with separate sections for pharmaceutical chemists, chemists and druggists, assistants and apprentices. From 1868, anybody wishing to open a pharmacy to dispense prescriptions containing poisons, or to sell poisons, had to pass one of the qualifying examinations and obtain a certificate of registration, unless they obtained a certificate to prove that they were already in business, and were considered to be suitable for admission to the register. Under the terms of the Society's charter, members had to have their own business. Those who did not, but were registered under the 1868 Act, could become associates. It was not until 1898 that full membership was open to all registered pharmaceutical chemists and chemists and druggists.⁵
The first degree in pharmacy (BSc [Pharm]) was offered by Manchester university in 1904,⁶ but it was not until 1932 that it was accepted by the Pharmaceutical Society as being acceptable (after suitable professional experience and passing the Society's examination in forensic pharmacy) for registration of the graduate as a pharmaceutical chemist.⁷ In 1954, a new register was formed in which all pharmacists were given the title of pharmaceutical chemist. Those already recognised by this title became fellows of the Pharmaceutical Society, and the Council was given the power to designate as new fellows those members who had made outstanding contributions to pharmacy.⁸ From 1970, a university degree in pharmacy has been the only acceptable means of qualifying for registration.⁹
The Pharmacy Act of 1868 gave women the same right as men to sit the Society's examinations for registration. In June, 1873, Alice Vickery, having passed the minor examination, became the first woman to qualify in this way as a chemist and druggist. In December, 1875, the first woman to pass the major examination was Isabella Skinner Clarke.¹⁰ However, although she was a pharmaceutical chemist, it was not until 1879, after lengthy debates by the Council , that she was finally admitted to membership of the Pharmaceutical Society.¹¹ This attitude was not to last. In 1905, she became the first president of the newly founded Association of Women Pharmacists, a body which was to bring to an end an era in which women's needs and hopes were largely ignored.¹²
An article which was published in 'Every woman's encyclopaedia' in 1911¹³ affords an insight into the opportunities open to women in pharmacy a few years later.

Women in 1911

In 1911, there were 130 women who had passed the old minor examination of the Pharmaceutical Society to become fully qualified chemists and druggists. A greater number had completed a short training course and held the certificate of the Society of Apothecaries. However, this was not recommended as salaries were very low and employment uncertain. Most women were employed as dispensers, mainly in hospitals or public institutions, or by general medical practitioners in private practice. The writer observed that women were frequently preferred to men for these duties because they were quite as accurate as men in dispensing prescriptions, as well as being more reliable, and less wasteful.
The prospects of employment in pharmacy for a woman were undoubtedly very good, provided that she completed her training. Otherwise, it could prove difficult to obtain a job, and the salary would be smaller than for anyone with a qualification. The higher the qualification, the better the outlook.

Desirable qualities

A would-be chemist needed to be well educated, with above average ability and a liking for scientific subjects. She should be endowed with a strong constitution and good health, particularly if she intended to work in a public dispensary where the hours were long, and the crowds of patients necessitated the ability to prepare medicines at great speed. If she was not too strong, employment as a dispenser to a doctor was preferable.
For someone with good business ability and sufficient capital there was the opportunity of opening her own shop, preferably in a locality in which there were not too many established chemists. Already, about 20 women had shops of their own, and members of the public treated them with respect, so women tried to rid themselves of the idea that it was derogatory for them to stand behind the counter. It was no longer considered to be unfeminine, and their gender could be of help in dealing with poorer customers.

Training

The Pharmaceutical Society held a preliminary examination in Latin, English, one modern language, Euclid, arithmetic and algebra, but could supply a list of certificates which girls could obtain before leaving school, and which were acceptable in place of its own examination. Although it was not essential, it was thought to be wise to pass this before becoming apprenticed.
During the three-year apprenticeship to a qualified chemist in a shop or dispensary, or a pupillage of the same duration, she was expected to gain practical experience in dispensing and business management as well as to study pharmacy, botany, materia medica, elementary physics, and microscopy - the subjects to be taken in the qualifying examination. If the chemist to whom she was bound did not instruct her in these subjects, she was allowed to attend classes at a local college or technical school. For six to nine months during her third year she attended classes at a school of pharmacy for both theory and practical work in the laboratory. (The best was said to be the Pharmaceutical Society's own school.)
Because most women preferred to be apprenticed to a woman rather than a man, lists of qualified women who were prepared to take apprentices could be obtained from the secretary of the Pharmaceutical Society or the secretary of the Association of Women Pharmacists.

Examinations

Having finished her training, and providing that she was not less than 21 years old, the candidate could take the minor, or qualifying, examination of the Society. This was said to be "a fairly stiff one", but was within the capabilities of someone who had had a good education and had applied herself to her studies as an apprentice. Having passed this examination and obtained a certificate of registration she became a qualified chemist and druggist, entitled to sell and dispense poisons.
Of course this was before the era of continuing education, and most women did not undertake further studies. However, if they wished to aim for the higher positions in pharmacy, such as lecturers or consultants to manufacturers and wholesalers, they could sit the Society's major examination. This was described as "decidedly difficult", and required at least six months' further study, the subjects being advanced chemistry, materia medica and botany. The importance of materia medica and botany is an indication of the importance of vegetable drugs at this period. After successfully passing this examination, the candidate could use the title "pharmaceutical chemist".

Costs and remuneration

The usual cost of apprenticeship was £50 to £60, including board and lodging, and the college fee £20 for six months or £30 for nine. The examination fees were 10 guineas (£10.50) for the minor and five guineas (£5.25) for the major. Thus it was possible to qualify as a chemist and druggist for a little under £100.
Salaries for women chemists and druggists who were employed in dispensaries and doctors' surgeries usually ranged from £40 to £60 per annum with board and lodging, or £80 to £120 for non-residents, but large institutions could pay up to £120 plus food and accommodation. However, if sufficient capital was available, owning one's own pharmacy was usually more rewarding financially. Some women worked in wholesale chemists, superintending the packaging of poisons, and a few enjoyed lucrative positions in laboratories, though it was very unusual for a woman to be appointed to such a post.

After 1911

The great war of 1914-18 created a shortage of manpower, and this enabled many more women to find employment as pharmacists. The ratio of women to men continued to increase. In 1920, seven per cent of all registered pharmacists were women. By 1937, this had risen to 10 per cent, by 1941 to 15.5 per cent, and to 36 per cent by 1984.14 In addition, their influence on the affairs of the Society also increased. In 1918, Margaret Buchanan was the first woman to be elected a member of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society, Miss A. Borrowman was appointed to the board of examiners in 1923, and, in 1947, Mrs Jean Kennedy Irvine became the Society's first woman President.15 After that, in 1962, Miss Mary Burr was elected President, and later, Mrs Estelle Leigh (1977), Mrs Marion Rawlings (1989), Mrs Linda Stone (1990), and Miss Anne Lewis (1994). The current President is Mrs Christine Glover.

Mrs Christine Glover, the current President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

In November, 1998, Miss Lewis also received the ultimate accolade of being appointed the first woman Secretary and Registrar of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
For many years now, there has been no distinction in remuneration between the sexes. Pharmacy is one of the very few professions which really offers equal opportunities for advancement, as well as equal pay for equal work. Nowadays, with financial parity, far more women than men qualify and register, and with so many women holding important posts in administration, hospitals, education and manufacturing, there can be little doubt that pharmacy offers excellent opportunities as a career for women.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT The author thanks Ms Joan Mottram of the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine, University of Manchester.

Mr Jackson, a retired pharmacist from Manchester, is a past president of the British Society for the History of Pharmacy

References

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