May, 1882. 
THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST. 
' 10l] - ST 
and it was in this one that the following operations were 
witnessed : — 
First Step. — A large, very thin iron pan, containing a 
weighed quantity (about fourteen pounds) of sulphur, is placed 
over a slow fire, and two-thirds of a bottle of mercury added ; 
as soon as the sulphur begins to melt the mixture is vigorously 
stirred with an iron stirrer until it assumes a black pulveru- 
lent appearance with some melted sulphur floating on the 
surface ; it is then removed from the fire and the remainder 
of the bottle of mercury added, the whole well stirred. A 
little water is now poured over the mass, which rapidly cools 
it ; the pan is immediately emptied, when it is again ready 
for the next batch. The whole operation does not last more 
than ten minutes. The resulting black powder is not a 
definite sulphide, as uncombined mercury can be seen through- 
out the whole mass ; besides, the quantity of sulphur used is 
much in excess of the amount required to form mercucri 
sulphide. 
Second Step. — The black powder obtained in the first step 
is placed in a semi-hemispherical iron pan, built in with 
brick, and having a fireplace beneath, covered over with broken 
pieces of porcelain. These are built up in a loose porous 
manner, so as to fill another semi-hemispherical iron pan, 
which is then placed over the fixed one and securely luted 
with clay, a large stone being placed on the top of it to assist 
in keeping it in its place. The fire is then lighted and kept 
up for sixteen hours. The whole is then allowed to cool. 
When the top pan is removed the vermilion, together with the 
greater part of the broken porcelain, is attached to it in a 
coherent mass, which is easily separated into its component 
parts. The surfaces of the vermilion which were attached to 
the porcelain have a brownish-red and polished appearance, 
the broken surfaces being somewhat brighter and crystalline. 
Third, Step. — The sublimed mass obtained in the second 
step is pounded in a mortar to a coarse powder, and then 
ground with water between two stones, somewhat after the 
manner of grinding corn. The resulting semi-fluid mass is 
transferred to large vats of water, and allowed to settle, the 
supernatant water removed, and the sediment dried at a gentle 
heat ; when dry, it is again powdered, passed through a sieve, 
and is then fit for the market. — Government Civil Hospital , 
Victoria , Hong Kong , China. 
Corresponbeitxe. 
To the Editor of The Autralasian Supplement to the Chemist 
and Druggist. 
Sir — What is the best composition for marking linen, such as 
sheets, towels, counterpanes, such composition to stand 
plenty of washing ? I have tried some three or four kinds, 
but none seem to stand. The letters required to be some 
three-quarters of an inch or an inch long; consequently it 
will take some quantity of fluid. It must be inexpensive — 
that is to say, a reasonable price. M. P. S. V. 
11th May, 1882. 
To the Editor of The Australasian Supplement to the Chemist 
and Druggist. 
Sir — I should feel very much obliged to you, and I am sure 
the trade generally would feel much obliged to you also, if 
you would inform me through the medium of the journal 
whether our ordinary fire insurance for stock-in-trade and 
fixtures includes stock, bottles, show- jars, &c., as I have been 
recently advised that unless specially named in the policy as 
“ utensils, show- jars, &c.,” the offices will repudiate any claim 
for these articles in the event of their being destroyed by 
fire. — Yours respectfully, Charles Rubin, 
To the Editor of The Australasian Supplement to the Chemist 
and Druggist. 
Dear Sir — Will you kindly inform me under what disability 
does an unregistered assistant lie in regard to the Poisons and 
Pharmacy Acts, and also what extra liability does the employe 
of an unregistered person incur ? There are still some assist- 
ants who are entitled to register on passing the modified 
examination, yet they do not avail themselves of it. There 
certainly ought to be some limit to this, and perhaps if em- 
ployer and employed are made acquainted with their respon- 
sibilities the evil will be remedied. The employment of un- 
qualified assistants is unfair, both to the public, whom the 
Pharmacy Act is designed to protect, and to those who have to 
pass a severe examination before being permitted to dispense 
medicines. — I am, yours truly, Sanitas. 
To the Editor of The Australasian Supplement to the Chemist 
and Druggist. 
Sir — I have often thought that, considering how much the 
success of the prescriber depends upon the exact execution of 
his instructions by the dispenser, there should be frequent 
communication between the two ; yet, as a matter of fact, 
hardly any communication at all exists — except across the 
counter. I believe if by some means the physician’s wishes 
could be made known to the pharmacist, that the latter 
would take every pains to give them effect. This would lead 
to the improvement of old remedies and to the adoption 
of new, and also to greater uniformity. The subject is a 
wide one, having many aspects, but at present I must limit 
myself to mentioning a few simple matters upon which 
misunderstanding exists, and which, if medicine and 
pharmacy are to be considered sciences, should speedily 
be removed. Ether chloroform or spirits of ether chloro- 
form is variously dispensed as 1 in 8, 1 in 10, or 1 in 20, and 
some prescribers intend one and some the other strengths. 
When “ sodas carb.” is written the bicarbonate is often meant, 
and it is sometimes difficult to determine which. When “ oz. 
of potass bromid” is ordered, as 437| grains are contained in 
the official ounce, that quantity ought to be dispensed, but 
many prescribers mean the old troy ounce of 480 grains. 
These discrepancies might be largely added to, but I must 
now only refer to one more difficulty which occurs in this 
direction ; but it is perhaps the most important of all, because 
it matters not how exactly a prescription may be dispensed if 
the patient takes half or twice as much as the doctor in- 
tends. About five years ago I sent a circular to every 
medical man in Victoria, asking him if he attached any other 
values to the terms tea, dessert, and tablespoon than one, 
two, and four drams respectively, to kindly let me know. I 
further suggested that the terms fluid ounces and drams 
should be substituted for spoonfuls, &c. I received replies 
thanking me for the suggestion, and approving of the plan I 
then adopted of giving a measure with each prescription, but 
no one disputed the generally accepted values. Still I find 
that no material alteration has occurred in practice ; and 
while the now-replies to my circular proved that Victorian 
medical men at any rate mean a tablespoonful of four drams, 
their patients still continue in most cases to use four, five, six, 
or even seven drams, according to the make of the family 
spoons. Nor is this all, for even where 2 ozs. is written some 
dispensers interpret it as a tablespoon, and the patient uses 
his own discretion as to the size — some believing in large, 
others in small doses. This I think unwarrantable ; but it is 
nevertheless the fact, and to remedy such anomalies more 
frequent interchange of opinions is needed between the two 
branches of the healing art. — Apologising for trespassing so 
far, I am, yours truly, Alfred J. Owen. 
POISONING CASES. 
A gatekeeper employed on the railway at Footscray, named 
Thomas O’Connor, aged forty-five years, was admitted at the 
Melbourne Hospital on the 9th April, suffering from strychnine 
poisoning. It appears that O’Connor, who had been suffering 
from despondency for some days, consequent upon hearing 
that he was to be removed from his position, purchased four 
grains of strychnine from Mr. Stephens, chemist, Foots- 
cray, in the morning, on the plea that he desired to poison a 
dog. The poison was obtained in the regular way in the 
presence of a witness, and no suspicions were entertained that 
the purchaser contemplated suicide. On returning to his 
home O’Connor proceeded to eat the strychnine, but was pre- 
vented from taking the whole four grains by his young son, 
who obtained assistance and conveyed him to the hospital. 
An attempt was made to commit suicide on the 9th April 
by a man named Robert Miller, aged twenty-seven years, 
residing at Cardigan -street, Carlton, by taking a large dose of 
poisonous liniment. It was stated by Miller’s friends that he 
had been drinking heavily for some days, and while recovering 
from the effects of the bout he drank a quantity of liniment, 
consisting of belladonna and camphor, from the effects of 
