REASONS Humbly Offer'd By the Company exerciſing the Trade and Miſtery of UPHOL⯑DERS, againſt Part of the BILL, For the better Viewing, Searching and Examining Drugs, Medicines, &c.
[1]BEING call'd upon by ſeveral Retailers and Diſpenſers of Drugs and Medicines about Town, to uſe our Endeavours a⯑gainſt the Bill now depending, for Viewing, &c. In Regard of our common Intereſt and in Gra⯑titude to the ſaid Retailers and Diſpenſers of Medicines (which we have always found to be [2] very effectual) we preſume to lay the following Reaſons before the Publick, againſt the ſaid Bill.
That the Company of Upholders are far from being averſe to the giving of Drugs and Medicines in general, provided they may be of ſuch Qualities as we require, and adminiſter'd by ſuch Perſons in whom our Company juſtly repoſe the greateſt Confidence: And provided they tend to the Encouragement of Trade, and the Conſumption of the Woolen Manufacture of this Kingdom.
We beg Leave to obſerve, that there hath been no Complaint from any of the Nobility, Gen⯑try and Citizens whom we have attended. Our Practice, which conſiſts chiefly in outward Ap⯑plications, having been always ſo effectual, that none of our Patients have been oblig'd to un⯑dergo a ſecond Operation. Excepting one Gen⯑tlewoman; who, after her firſt Burial, having, burthen'd her Husband with a new Brood of poſthumous Children, her ſecond Funeral was by us perform'd without any further Charges to [3] the ſaid Husband of the deceas'd. And we hum⯑bly hope, that one ſingle Inſtance of this Kind (a Misfortune owing meerly to the Avarice of a Sexton in cutting off a Ring) will not be im⯑puted, to any Want of Skill, or Care in our Company.
We humbly conceive, that this Power, by this Bill lodged in the Cenſors of the College of Phyſicians, to reſtrain any of His Majeſty's Sub⯑jects from diſpenſing, and well-diſpoſed Per⯑ſons from taking what Medicines they pleaſe, is a manifeſt Encroachment on the Liberty and Pro⯑perty of the Subjects.
As the Company exerciſing the Trade and Miſtery of Upholders, have an undiſputed Right in and upon the Bodies of all and every the Subjects of the Kingdom; we conceive the paſ⯑ſing of this Bill, though not abſolutely depri⯑ving them of their ſaid Right, might keep them out of Poſſeſſion by unreaſonable Delays, to the great Detriment of our Company and their nu⯑merous Families.
[4] We hope it will be conſider'd that there are Multitudes of neceſſitous Heirs and penurious Parents, Perſons in pinching Circumſtances, with numerous Families of Children, Wives that have lived long, many robuſt aged Women with great Jointures, elder Brothers with bad Underſtandings, ſingle Heirs of great Eſtates, whereby the Collateral Line are for ever exclu⯑ded, Reverſionary Patents, and Reverſionary Promiſes of Preferments, Leaſes upon Single Lives, and Play-debts upon joint Lives, and that the Perſons ſo agrieved have no Hope of being ſpeedily relieved any other Way, than by the diſpenſing of Drugs and Medicines in the Manner they now are; Burying alive being judg'd repugnant to the know Laws of this Kingdom.
That there are many of the Deceaſed, who by certain mechanical Motions and Powers are carried about Town, who would have been put into our Hands long before this Time by any other well-ordered Government; by want of a [5] due Police in this Particular, our Company have been great Sufferers.
That frequent Funerals contribute to preſerve the Genealogies of Families, and the Honours conferred by the Crown, (which are no where ſo well illuſtrated as on this ſolemn Occaſion;) to maintain neceſſitous Clergy, to enable the Clerks to appear in decent Habits to officiate on Sundays, to feed the great Retinue of ſober and melancholy Men who appear at the ſaid Funerals, and who muſt ſtarve without con⯑ſtant and regular Employment. Moreover we deſire it may be remember'd, that by the paſſing of this Bill the Nobility and Gentry will have their old Coaches lie upon their Hands, which are now employed by our Company.
And we further hope that frequent Funerals will not be diſcouraged (as is by this Bill pro⯑poſed) it being the only Method left of carry⯑ing ſome People to Church.
We are afraid that by the Hardſhips of this [6] Bill our Company will be reduced to leave their Buſineſs here, and practiſe at York and Briſtol, where the free Uſe of bad Medicines will be ſtill allowed.
It is therefore hoped that no ſpecious Pretence whatſoever will be thought ſufficient to introduce an Arbitrary and unlimited Power for People to live (in Defiance of Art) as long as they can by the Courſe of Nature, to the Prejudice of our Company, and the Decay of Trade.
That as our Company are like to ſuffer in ſome meaſure by the Power given to Phyſicians to diſſect the Bodies of Malefactors, we hum⯑bly hope that the Manufacture of Caſes for Skeletons will be reſerved ſolely to the Coffin⯑makers.
We likewiſe humbly preſume that the Inte⯑reſts of the ſeveral Trades and Profeſſions which depend upon ours, may be regarded; ſuch as that of the Makers of Hearſes, Coaches, Cof⯑fins, Epitaphs, and Bell-ropes; Stone-cutters, [7] Feather-men and Bell-ringers; and eſpecially the Manufacturers of Crapes; and the Makers of Snuff, who uſe great Quantities of old-Coffins, and who, conſidered in the Conſumpti⯑on of their Drugs, employ by far the greateſt Number of Hands of any Manufacture of the Kingdom.