Bell and the Pharmaceutical Society
A daguerreotype portrait of Jacob Bell, early 1850s
Jacob Bell was the proprietor of the family business and a significant figure in London's artistic circles. However, he also found time to bring together leading chemists and druggists to form the Pharmaceutical Society in 1841. This group of chemists and druggists agreed that they needed a body to represent and promote the profession's interests. They decided that the best foundation for a permanent independent association was membership based on a recognised qualification. William Allen proposed the formation of the Pharmaceutical Society at a meeting on April 15th 1841 at the Crown and Anchor Tavern on the corner of Arundel Street and the Strand in London. John Bell, Jacob's father, seconded it. Allen went on to become the Society's first president.
Jacob Bell was central to the development and running of the Pharmaceutical Society for the rest of his life. He was the first editor of The Pharmaceutical Journal. In addition, in 1850, he was elected as MP for St Albans in order to represent the interests of pharmacy within the government.