pharmaceutical-society-of-great-britain-v-boots-ca

PHARMACEUTICALSOCIETYOFGREATBRITAINVBOOTSCASHCHEMISTS(SOUTHERN)LD.[1951P.No.1413.][COURTOFAPPEAL][1953]1QB401HEARING-DATES:5February19535February1953CATCHWORDS:Poisons-Saleof-Self-servicesystem-Selectionofarticlesbycustomerfromshelves-Paymentatcashdeskinpresenceofqualifiedpharmacist-Legality-PharmacyandPoisonsAct,1933(23&24Geo.5,c.25),s.18(1)(a)(iii).Contract-Offerandacceptance-Saleofgoods-Self-service-Timeofsale.HEADNOTE:Thedefendants'branchshop,consistingofasingleroom,wasadaptedtotheself-servicesystem.Theroomcon-tainedchemist'sdepartment,underthecontrolofaregisteredpharmacist,inwhichvariousdrugsandproprietarymedi-cinesincluded,orcontainingsubstancesincluded,inPartIofthePoisonsListcompiledundersection17(1)ofthePharmacyandPoisonsAct,1933,(butnotinSch.ItothePoisonsRules,1949),weredisplayedonshelvesinpackagesorothercontainers,withthepricemarkedoneach.Acustomer,onenteringtheshop,wasprovidedwithawirebasket,andhavingselectedfromtheshelvesthearticleswhichhewishedtobuy,heputtheminthebasketandtookthemtothecashier'sdeskatoneorotherofthetwoexits,whorethecashierstatedthetotalpriceandreceivedpayment.Thatlatterstageofeverytransactioninvolvingthesaleofadrugwassupervisedbythepharmacistincontrolofthedepartment,whowasauthorizedtopreventtheremovalofanydrugfromthepremises.Inanactionbroughtbytheplaintiffsalleginganinfringementbythedefendantsofsection18(1)(a)(iii)ofthePharmacyandPoisonsAct,1933,whichrequiresthesaleofpoisonsincludedinPartIofthePoisonsListtobeeffectedbyorunderthesupervisionofaregisteredpharmacist:-Held,thattheself-servicesystemdidnotamounttoanofferbythedefendantstosell,butmerelytoaninvitationtothecustomertooffertobuy;thatsuchanofferwasacceptedatthecashier'sdeskunderthesupervisionoftheregisteredpharmacist;andthattherewasthereforenoinfringementofthesection.DecisionofLordGoddardC.J.[1952]2Q.B.795;[1952]2T.L.R.340;[1952]2AllE.R.456affirmed.INTRODUCTION:APPEALfromLordGoddardC.J.SpecialcasestatedbythepartiesunderR.S.C.,Ord.34,r.1.ThedefendantscarriedonabusinesscomprisingtheretailsaleofdrugsatpremisesatEdgware,whichwereente-redintheregisterofpremiseskeptpursuanttosection12ofthePharmacyandPoisonsAct,1933,andfromwhichtheyregularlysolddrugsbyretail.Thepremisescomprisedasingleroom,soadaptedthatcustomersmightservethemselves,andthebusinesstherewasdescribedbyaprintednoticeattheentranceagBoot'sSelf-Service.Onentryeachcustomerpassedabarrierwhereawirebasketwasobtained.Beyondthebarriertheprincipalpartoftheroom,whichcontainedaccommodationfor60customers,containedshelvesaroundthewallsandonanislandfixtureinthecentre,onwhicharticlesweredisplayed.OnepartoftheroomwasdescribedbyaprintednoticeastheToiletDept.andanotherpartastheChemists'Dept.Ontheshelvesinthechemists'departmentdrugs,includingproprietarymedicines,wereseverallydisplayedinindividualpackagesorcontainerswithaconspicuousindi-cationoftheretailpriceofeach.Thedrugsandproprietarymedicinescoveredawiderange,andonesectionoftheshel-vesinthechemists'departmentwasdevotedexclusivelytodrugswhichwereincludedin,orwhichcontainedsubstan-cesincludedin,PartIofthePoisonsListreferredtoinsection17(1)ofthePharmacyandPoisonsAct,1933;nosuchdrugsweredisplayedonanyshelvesoutsidethesection,towhichashutterwasfittedsothatatanytimeallthearticlesinthatsectioncouldbesecurelyinclosedandexcludedfromdisplay.NoneofthedrugsinthatsectioncamewithinSch.ItothePoisonsRules,1949(S.I.1949,No.539).Thestaffemployedbythedefendantsatthepremisescomprisedamanager,aregisteredpharmacist,threeassistantsandtwocashiers,andduringthetimewhenthepremiseswereopenforthesaleofdrugsthemanager,theregisteredpharmacist,andoneormoreoftheassistantswerepresentintheroom.Eachcustomerselectedfromtheshelvesthear-ticlewhichhewishedtobuyandplaceditinthewirebasket;inordertoleavethepremisesthecustomerhadtopassbyoneoftwoexits,ateachofwhichwasacashdeskwhereacashierwasstationedwhoscrutinizedthearticlesselectedbythecustomer,assessedthevalueandacceptedpayment.Thechemists'departmentwasunderthepersonalcontroloftheregisteredpharmacist,whocarriedoutallhisdutiesatthepremisessubjecttothedirectionsofasuperintendentappoin-tedbythedefendantsinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofsection9oftheAct.Thepharmacistwasstationednearthepoisonssection,wherehiscertificateofregistrationwasconspicuouslydi-splayed,andwasinviewofthecashdesks.Ineverycaseinvolvingthesaleofadrugthepharmacistsupervisedthatpartofthetransactionwhichtookplaceatthecashdeskandwasauthorizedbythedefendantstopreventatthatstageofthetransaction,ifhethoughtfit,anycustomerfromremovinganydrugfromthepremises.Nostepsweretakenbythedefendantstoin-formthecustomers,beforetheyselectedanyarticlewhichtheywishedtopurchase,ofthepharmacist'sauthorization.OnApril13,1951,atthedefendants'premises,twocustomers,followingtheprocedureoutlinedabove,respective-lypurchasedabottlecontainingamedicineknownascompoundsyrupofhypophosphites,containing0.01%W/Vstrychnine,andabottlecontainingmedicineknownasfamelsyrup,containing0.23%W/Vcodeine,bothofwhichsub-stancesarepoisonsincludedinPartIofthePoisonsList,but,owingtothesmallpercentagesofstrychnineandcodein