2 
THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST OF AUSTRALASIA 
Jan. 1 , 1887 . 
It will be at once evident that if all pharmacists were true 
to their brethren such a course would be impossible, and all 
who lend themselves to it must be prepared to encounter the 
opprobrium of the craft. 
There is !one other unsatisfactory consideration. Of the 
three associations in Melbourne on the co-operative principle 
the Equitable is the only one which announces that it is open 
to the public. It is therefore the only one that keeps open 
shop, and comes under the operation of the Act. The Mutual 
and the Federal deal only with their own members. We do 
not assert that no one who is not a member ever got a bottle 
of medicine there, but he did it at his own risk ; he was liable 
to be challenged, and if he were not a member and had no 
authority from a member to purchase he would be refused. 
We doubt very much if any court would hold that this was 
keeping open shop. Such being the case nothing can restrain 
them from continuing to supply their members. No law will 
prevent any one from buying a large quantity of any drug or 
poison, and dividing it among his fellows at a price which covers 
working expenses, but does not yield him a profit beyond 
them. This is what the Co-operative Societies virtually do, 
and we fear that there is no way of destroying their competi- 
tion. 
It would have been easy and pleasant for us to prophesy 
smooth things ; to congratulate the Pharmacy Board of Vic- 
toria and our readers generally on their triumph over the 
barbarian ; but this would have been simply to mislead our, 
readers. The fact is that the craftiest attack ever made upon 
co-operation, guided by the lessons taught by previous defeat 
and under the most advantageous circumstances, while it has 
resulted in a technical victory, has shown the vanquished how 
to assume an impregnable position. 
AN INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL CON- 
GRESS, ADELAIDE, 1888. 
The suggestion thrown out in our last issue that advantage 
should be taken of the International Jubilee Exhibition at 
Adelaide next year, to hold an International Pharmaceutical 
Congress in that eity, has not been formally discussed by any 
Colonial Society. We have, however, received privately from 
nearly every colony expressions of approval of the idea, and 
wishes that it may be carried out. The difficulty, of course, is 
to find men of sufficient leisure to carry out the needful ar- 
rangements. Of energy and administrative ability there is no 
want in South Australia, but it is not so easy to find leisure. 
All will await with interest the decision of the Pharmaceutical 
Society of South Australia, which will probably be arrived at 
at its next meeting. To show readers in other colonies the 
progress that is being made, and the measures adopted, by the 
committee of the Intercolonial Medical Congress to be held at 
Adelaide in August or September of tbis year, we print a 
rather full report of its proceedings hitherto, which we com- 
mend to the attentive study of all. The mediciners, or medi- 
cists have no such distinct object before them as the phar- 
macists, as they have already secured recognition of their 
colonial diplomas in the United Kingdom. The establishment 
of a basis for the recognition of pharmaceutical diplomas 
throughout the British Empire is really practical in these days 
of easy locomotion. 
WORK FOR COUNTRY CHEMISTS. 
Baron Ferd. von Mueller is anxious to enlist chemists in all 
parts of Australia, and especially those in the less known dis- 
tricts, in the great work of completing the history of the Austra- 
lian flora. Much as has been done in the past — and everyone 
will acknowledge the large share Baron von Mueller has had in 
the undertaking — there still remains work which can be done 
better by residents in a locality than by travelling collectors. 
At the present time, after the favourable season we have 
experienced, there are probably many species of minute 
annuals in fruit and seeding which have not been seen for 
years, and may disappear again till another good season gives 
them a chance of flowering and fruiting. It is impossible for 
travellers to be in all places at the best opportunities ; but 
residents, who have given a little attention to the subject, 
could gather a rare harvest. 
What chemists, or their assistants or apprentices, can do, 
is to make a collection of all plants, large or minute, occur- 
ring in their district or at any place within reach. The speci- 
mens should have branch, leaf, and flower always ; wherever 
possible, fruit or seed-vessel must be included, and it is advis- 
able where there is a long interval between flowering and the 
ripening of fruit, to secure a second specimen later in the sea- 
son. In the case of all small plants the roots should be 
shown as well. These specimens should at once be numbered, 
and it would be as well to adopt a system of labelling, some- 
thing like the following : — 
Name 
Natural Order ; 
Locality ’ 
Date ! 
No I 
The collector should fill up the space left for locality aud date, i 
The numbers should be consecutive. The plants should then j 
be dried between sheets of paper. The specimens of each | 
plant should be in duplicate, and should be kept quite distinct 
they had better be placed loosely in a folded sheet of paper. 
If the collector will then send to Baron von Mueller, Bo- 
tanical Museum, Melbourne, one of the duplicate sets, he will 
be furnished by post with a numbered list of the names of the 
plants. It is a very great advantage to a young botanist to get 
his specimens authoritatively named in this way, at the small 
cost of preparing a duplicate numbered set. 
In addition to the naming of the specimens Baron Mueller 
makes it a rule to record the name of the discoverer whenever a 
plant is sent to him from a new locality. Moreover, there is 
always a j^ossibility that the collector may discover species 
new to science. When this is the case the specific name is i 
frequently made to record the name of discoverer. Among i 
plants recently described we find Elachanthcra SeiveUics | 
(named after Miss Julia Sewell), Hakea Persieltana (in honour | 
of Mr. W. Persieh), and the list could easily be greatly ex- j 
tended. i 
Further, although Baron von Mueller cannot undertake to re- , 
turn collections sent to him he will generally be able to send 
jn exchange for them seeds of interesting plants or other small 
acknowledgment. 
We trust many of our readers, particularly those living 
towards the central districts, will interest themselves in this ; 
matter. ’ 
