196 On the Chemical Establishments 



throughout this kingdom and in almost every part of the globe, it 

 will be right to give a general explanation of the manner in which 

 the business is conducted, subjoining a short description of the 

 present improved state of their laboratories and apparatus, and 

 also of the several processes carried on in them. 



The general management of the affairs of the society, as con- 

 nected with the preparation of medicines, is under the immediate 

 superintendence of committees, who meet four times in the week, or 

 oftener when required, and some member of which attends daily 

 and enters in a book the processes which he finds carrying on at 

 the time of his visit. These daily attendances are performed by 

 the members of the committees in rotation. 



The burjing committee meets every Tuesday at one in the after- 

 noon, to examine and compare the samples of articles sent in by 

 the druggists, and to direct their purchase ; the articles wanting, 

 and the quantity of each required, being specified upon a list posted 

 up in the hall for the information of any merchant or druggist who 

 may choose to offer samples to the committee. At these meet- 

 ings, the best article being selected and determined upon, the 

 chairman announces the name of the vender and the price, and the 

 deputy chairman enters the order. Where two or more samples 

 of the same article are equal in quality but vary in price, the cheap- 

 est is purchased ; if the price of two or more equally good samples 

 be the same, and the quantity required considerable, the order is 

 generally divided, or given to that house from which the least has 

 been purchased. 



In this way every drug and other article required for the use of 

 the society's trade is purchassd exclusively by sample. 



To ensure the correspondence of the bulk of the article deli- 

 vered into stock with that of the sample, a distinct Committee of 

 Inspection meets every Friday, for the purpose of comparing the 

 bulk with the sample presented on the preceding Tuesday, and 

 rejecting or receiving it accordingly. It is also an important duty 

 of this committee to examine samples of all preparations whatever, 

 coming from the laboratories, previous to their being disposed of 

 in trade ; samples, therefore, of all powders, tinctures, chemical 



