Vermont State Pharmaceutical Association Papers

The Vermont State Pharmaceutical Association Records contain mostly correspondence received by Harold Edward Colman while he served as its president. Official documents issued by the National Recovery Administration and The National Association of Retail Druggists are present alongside correspondence from Vermont members and Senators Gibson and Prouty. General printed matter on the pharmaceutical trade, questionnaires and survey results, posters, price lists, press releases, and requests for financial support, publicity materials, and a convention program are also present.

The following issues were of particular interest to the Vermont Druggists Group: 1) prophylactics and contraceptives regulation 2) liquor regulation 3) permits to sell spirituous liquors in pharmacies 4) drugs to “drugstores only” 5) druggist conditions 6) communication between druggists, representatives and senators to promote state legislation 7) cooperation with manufacturers about fair pricing 8) right not to sell/display goods that do not allow a living profit 9) tobacco regulation.

Of note are two texts used to promote “National Pharmacy Week” during which pharmacists celebrated an educational “open house”. The short texts (unsigned) explained to the public the key role that the druggist played in the community, and presented a short history of this profession since its beginnings.

A key document in the collection is the 1930 application for membership in the American Pharmaceutical Association. It contains extensive information about the benefits of membership; the organization’s history; its purpose; the membership requirements; and the different eligible groups such as manufacturers, salesmen, and students. The application includes an engraving of the building of the American Institute of Pharmacy, in Washington, D.C., which was inaugurated in May, 1934. It symbolizes the growth and significance of the field with an aim to influence national legislation, engage in public education, and continue advancing the field through genuine science. The application serves as a snapshot of several aims of the association at a time of growth including oversight of the training of pharmacists, public education, promoting research, public health, increasing cooperation between local and state associations, and improving enforcement of laws to regulate and protect the practice.

Of particular importance is the speech by the person who identifies as the “Chair of group I.” It was given during Colman’s presidency but the author is not stated. The speech summarizes all the threats that pharmacists in Vermont perceived as requiring government control through “protective” legislation. It calls for unifying and making a common front for promoting change.

Another item of interest is a label stating “we believe that drugs should be sold by registered druggists in drug stores.” This statement is also printed in the stationery of the “Vermont Druggist Groups, an organization of Druggists to Promote Better Conditions in Pharmacy.” The letters using this particular stationery offer a clear view of the goals, the organizational structure, and activities of this local network. The ten groups (originally 12) were geographically organized responding to a strategy that is discussed and diagrammed in the correspondence of Mr. F. W. Wheeler, who acted as chair of the 10 group “captains”. Their network ensured efficient communication and action among the related industries, pharmacists, customers, the federal government, and the NRA. Members of the Vermont State Pharmaceutical Association in these groups were encouraged to reach out to non-member pharmacists and to the general public. Their monthly meetings were open to the public.

Note that the presence of the blue eagle symbol indicates support of and cooperation with the National Recovery Administration (NRA). For example, material from the National Code Authority for the Retail Tobacco Trade bears this symbol.

The term druggist, as used in the material, can be synonymous with a trained pharmacist; but, it can also be used to mean a person who owns, operates, or works in a drug store in a capacity that handles medicines. At this time, many drug stores sold a variety of health-related goods and everyday items as well as running soda fountains and lunch counters. The terms drug store and pharmacy can be used synonymously, though a pharmacy is usually more specifically engaged in the dispensing of medicine and can be sited inside a drug store.

The collection is arranged chronologically.