Trade Union of Workers’ Pharmacists in Poland from the Perspective of the Polish Universal Pharmaceutical Society in „Wiadomości Farmaceutyczne” (1919–1939)

Abstract

After the First World War, in 1919, two largest pharmaceutical organizations were established in Poland: Związek Zawodowy Farmaceutów Pracowników w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Trade Union of Pharmaceutical Employees in the Republic of Poland) and Polskie Powszechne Towarzystwo Farmaceutyczne (Polish Common Pharmaceutical Society). The first one included pharmacy employees, while the second – employers, the drugstore owners. This meant that both organizations, until the end of their existence (1939), were in conflict. The main reason was economic issues. However both organizations have united efforts for the development of pharmacy on the field of science, professional ethics and patriotism. Polish Common Pharmaceutical Society was publishing a magazine “Wiadomości Farmaceutyczne” (“Pharmaceutical News”). The purpose of this article is to try to answer the question how the Polish Common Pharmaceutical Society activists perceived Trade Union of Pharmaceutical Employees in the Republic of Poland. The materials published in “Pharmaceutical News” are used as the source. The analysis allows to conclude that the approach of Polish Common Pharmaceutical Society to Trade Union of Pharmaceutical Employees in the Republic of Poland has never been unequivocal – the criticism mixed with praise. It was due to the evolution of Trade Union of Pharmaceutical Employees in the Republic of Poland – from a small left-wing trade union to a massive, stable andpro-state employee organization.