Minutes of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy.
A special meeting of the College was held Dec. 5th, pursuant to a call issued by the President, to receive and act upon the report of the Joint Committee appointed at the last meeting to consider the business interests of the American Journal of Pharmacy.
In the absence of the President, Vice-President Robert Shoemaker in the chair. In the absence of the Secretary, Thomas S. Wiegand was appointed Secretary pro tempore.
The call for the meeting, stating its object, having been read, the minutes of the Joint Committee were then read, giving an account of their deliberations and the conclusions at which they had arrived.
It was then resolved
- 1st. That the business pertaining to the Journal shall be transacted at the College building.
- 2d. That the American Journal of Pharmacy be published monthly.
- 3d. That a business editor be appointed to attend to the advertisements, the distribution and the accounts.
- 4th. That the Treasurer of the Publishing Committee be authorized to draw on the Treasurer of the College for the prime cost of Journals supplied to members, and for exchanges.
On motion then adjourned.
THOMAS S. WIEGAND, Secretary pro temp.
A stated meeting of the College was held December 27, 1870. Dillwyn Parrish, President, presiding.
The minutes of the last meeting and of the special Meeting were read and approved.
The minutes of the Board of Trustees were read by the Secretary of the Board.
Wm. Procter, Jr., for Committee on Latin Labels, made a verbal report. After some explanatory remarks from members of the Committee the subject of publishing farther editions of the labels was referred to the Committee, with power to act.
A communication from the Horticultural Society regarding a botanical garden at Fairmount Park, was referred to the Board of Trustees.
The following communication was read:
To the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy:
FELLOW MEMBERS.—It is now thirty-four years since my connection with the American Journal of Pharmacy as a contributor commenced, and about twenty-five years as co-editor and editor.
During this period time and labor have been freely given to make the work a continuous record of the progress of Pharmacy at home and abroad. For many years it was a labor of love, and despite the great sacrifice of time occasioned by contributing to its pages, the labor was cheerfully given. Of latter years a change has occurred in this respect: the work has been continued regularly as a matter of duty, but it has ceased to be a pleasure. Under these circumstances, I desire to carry out an intention entertained for several years, and withdraw from the editorship.
In order to give the College time to select a successor, I have deemed it best to offer this my resignation at this meeting, to take effect at the annual meeting in March, when the stated time for electing an editor arrives.
Meanwhile every effort will be made to introduce the new order of things adopted at the special meeting of the present month, and to start the Journal as a Monthly in its three first numbers, hoping that the College will then be ready to release me from further duty.
I need hardly say that it has required some effort on my part to thus voluntarily resign a position fraught with so many pleasant memories, and which has brought me in contact with a large number of professional brethren beyond the pale of our College, yet after deliberate consideration I believe duty to myself requires the step to be taken, not doubting that under the auspices of a new editor the Publishing Committee will be able to report a flourishing condition of the Journal at the end of the coming year.
Respectfully,
WILLIAM PROCTER, JR.
December 27th, 1870.
The resignation of the editor of the Journal gave occasion to expressions of regret at the prospect of losing the able hand which had for so many years guided the first and most widely known exponent of Pharmaceutical science in America; and, while feeling what the loss to the College would be, the members who were acquainted with Mr. Procter's earnest wish to be released from the editorship could not solicit from him a farther continuance of the labors of the office, and while accepting his resignation are unable to express their sense of the services he has rendered—a just estimate can better be found in the twenty-one volumes of the American Journal of Pharmacy which bear his name as editor.
On motion of Robert Shoemaker, the resignation of William Procter, Jr., was then accepted.
On motion of Charles Ellis, the Chair appointed the following Committee to bring forward at the next meeting the name of a suitable person for editor, viz., Charles Ellis, Wm. Procter, Jr., John M. Maisch, Charles Bullock.
Frames for the engraving of Jacob Bell, and of the photograph of Plough Court Laboratory, received from Daniel Hanbury, at the last stated meeting, were presented by Wm. Procter, Jr.
On motion then adjourned.
CHARLES BULLOCK, Secretary.
