24 president's address — section b. 



ga.ve valuable help to the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain 

 and Ireland^ when in 1884 and '85 the latter was applying for 

 its Royal Charter of Incorporation. Also, in the meantime, many 

 pharmacists seem to be coming to the conclusion that the name of 

 " chemist " is of questionable advantage to them, now that the 

 public has been forced to realize that there are other important 

 species of chemists, who have nothing to do with the dispensing of 

 drugs or the sale of poisons. The signs of the times are, therefore, 

 looking favorable for some reciprocal arrangement between phar- 

 macists and chemists, whereby the former might consent to re- 

 nounce the terms '■' chemist and druggist" and " pharmacfeurical 

 chemist," in favour of "pharmacist " or "apothecary," provided 

 that the chemists assist them to secure a stiffening up of the Phar- 

 macy Acts, to prohibit the dispensing of any kind of medical pre- 

 scription, whether containing a poison or not, by any one but a 

 properly qualified and registered pharmacist. Such an arrange- 

 ment could, however, only be carried through gradually and 

 cautiously, or unjustifiable hardship to the present holders of the 

 vested interest in the titles "chemist and druggist" and "phar- 

 maceutical chemist" w^ould be caused. For example, any sudden 

 demand to alter shop signs and labels would entail very serious 

 cost. Put the very fact that any such change must be slow requires 

 that this matter should be' taken up vigorously by responsible 

 bodies of chemists without delay. In this connexion it is worth 

 noting that friendly negotiations with the above end in view have 

 been going on for some time in England between the Institute of 

 Chemistry and the Pharmaceutical Society, with some promise of 

 success. 



Much of the indifference to science shown by the average layman 

 must, I fear, be ascribed to his school training. Although science 

 teaching of a sort is becoming general in our secondary, and even to 

 some extent in our primary schools, it is too often so unintelligent 

 and perfunctory that one is tempted to fear that to many pupils 

 it may do more harm than good. In British secondary schools the 

 practice is extending of employing for the teaching of science 

 subjects teachers who have gained a university science degree, 

 preferably with honours, in those subjects. In Australian schools, 

 however, with some notable exceptions, the salaries offered are too 

 low toi attract science teachers of first-rate ability and adequate 

 training. In other words, the teaching of science is frequently 

 left to the type of teacher who is content to keep one page ahead 

 of the pupil, and who is, therefore, unfitted to present the subject 

 to the latter as a living thing, of fundamental importance in his 

 daily life. Under such conditions school science degenerates into a 

 mere cramming of text-books, which, in accordance with the 

 good old schoicl precedent, seem to have been selected chiefly for 

 their exc'eeding dryness ; and the inevitable result follows, that 

 the mention cf science calls up in the pupil's mind a positive re- 



