A Respectable Occupation: - University of Hertfordshire Research ...

as St Mary‘s Dispensary for Women and Children in Marylebone; here they
were able to study for the apothecaries‘ assistant‘s examination. 154
Additional training outside the dispensary was also available to them.
Lectures were open to them at the School of Pharmacy, and laboratory
practice and instruction could be obtained at the South London School of
Pharmacy, in Trinity Square, Borough. 155 Dispensing practice was available
at the New Hospital for Women in Euston Road and at some of the
Provident Medical Society‘s dispensaries. 156 Constance Bradbury, an
apothecaries‘ assistant, was employed in 1895 as the dispenser at the
dispensary in Ryde, Isle of Wight. She offered to train an apprentice to take
the Apothecaries Hall examination for 30 shillings a week, including
board. 157 The use of the term ‗apprentice‘ is inappropriate and student or
pupil might be better, as no formal apprenticeship was required for the
training of apothecaries‘ assistants.
Medical Dispensing
Why the apothecaries‘ assistants have received so little attention is not
clear, but it is possible to speculate on the reasons. The history of the
physicians, surgeons, apothecaries, nurses and midwives has been
extensively documented probably because they were high profile subjects
who worked in direct contact with the public. Additionally, they left a lot of
154 Jordan, „Suitable and Remunerative Employment‟, 436.
155 Society for Promoting the Training of Women, Annual Reports 1859-1958; [sic] 1899, p. 9 quoted in
Jordan, „Suitable and Remunerative Employment‟, 454, note 88.
156 Society for Promoting the Training of Women, Managing Committee Minute Book 1875-94, 16 July
1897, 22 October 1897; General Committee Minute Book, 1869-1901, 3 July 1897 quoted in Jordan,
„Suitable and Remunerative Employment‟, 454, note 87.
157 Society for Promoting the Training of Women, General Committee Minute Book, 1869-1901, 11 Oct.
1895 quoted in Jordan, „Suitable and Remunerative Employment‟, 454, note. 86.
183