THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 303 



ing candidates who have gone through necessity continue, can learn to do it 



a course of medical examination approved very efficiently, but when an expert is to 



by the Society. After that time the be had it is better to let him do the work, 



majority of the general practitioners of It is not because they like it that many 



England practiced with licenses in medi- general practitioners thus add unneces- 



cine from the Apothecaries' Society, and sarily, as they would say, to their work, 



in surgery from the Royal College of It is because their patients will have it so. 



Surgeons of London (afterward of Eng- If they abandon their pharmacy their 



land), or with the surgical diploma only, practice is not unlikely to abandon them. 



But it is not to be supposed that our We can only hope that as the public has 



brethren in England were really divided learnt or is learning, that the medical 



into separate professions as their formal profession is one, so they may gradually 



classification seemed to indicate. What- find out that the pharmaceutical profes- 



ever their titles may have been the Eng- sion is another. We may then hope that 



lish general practitioners of the last gen- each of them, really distinct professions, 



eration were able to acquire, and did willrestrictitself to its own duties. Things 



acquire, a sound practical knowledge of are indeed better now than they were, 



all branches of their profession, and Respectable skilful men were to be 



anomalous as the system was, it pro- found not long ago who kept shops, where 



duced a good deal of good fruit. The they or their assistants sold across the 



Medical Act of 1858, and the General counter, not to their own patients only 



Medical Council which the Act created, but to anybody, not only medicine, but 



had put an end to partial qualifica- tooth-brushes, sponges, scented soap and 



tions, and the unity of the profession so on. The unity of the medical profess- 



was as fully recognized in England as in ion is indeed securing its distinctness, 



any part of the world. The old names and the consciousness of unity is raising 



survived with, perhaps, some trace of its position and its tone. — Phar. Jour. 



the old ideas. 



Thetitleof "apothecary," or member HYDROGEN DIOXIDE FOR DETECTING 

 of the Apothecaries' Society , rather more TARTARIC ACID IN CITRIC ACID. 



than suggests the "drug decoder." Un- Add one Gm. of citric acid to be ex- 



doubtedly in "little country places" the amined, to one Cc. of a 10 per cent, 



medical man must often make up his own solution of ammonium molybdate. Upon 



prescriptions. There may be no druggist heating the mixture a blue coloration 



near him, and even it there be, if he has to may show itself. Cool, and add 5 Cc. of 



ride ten miles to see his patient he can a 25 per cent solution of hydrogen di- 



hardly expect that his patient will oxide. If the citric acid is adulterated, 



always be able to send ten miles for his an intense yellow coloration ensues, 



medicine. But many a medical man whether the mixture is warmed or not. 



makes up his own medicines without so The color is persistent, and is not ob- 



good an excuse. It is a pity that his time served with perfectly pure citric acid, 

 should be taken up with his work which The method, it is reported, will indi- 



is the business of another profession, and cate the presence of as little as i per 



could be done more easily and better by cent, of tartaric acid. — Merck's Report. 



the pharmacist having trained skill. In 



case of necessity an intelligent man can It will pay you to subscribe to the 



turn his hand to anything, and if the ALUflNI JOURNAL. 



