VoL. ii., No. 4. THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST OF AUSTRALASIA. 
83' 
THE MEDICINES MOST USED IN AUSTRALIA 
Some months ago we invited our readers to give us their 
aid in ascertaining on the lines of the English and American 
inquiries what medicines were most used in these colonies. 
The response was feebler than we expected, and no efforts 
could galvanise it into activity. The materials sent in, 
however, have sufficed for a fair comparison, and the results 
have now been carefully compiled. We must reserve for our 
next issue the full details of our analysis, giving here only 
the gross results and the award of the prize offered in our 
August issue. 
The following table shows the 
ORDER OF FREQUENCY OF THE FIRST TWENTY’-FIVE 
MEDICINES IN TEN THOUSAND PRESCRIPTIONS 
Name. 
1. Glycerine 
2. Quiiiiae Salphas . . 
8. Spt. Ammon. Aromat 
4. Spb. Chloi'oformi 
5. Hydrarg. Subchlor. 
6. Syrup. Simplex . . 
7. Spt. ^ther. Nit. 
S. Syrup. Aurantii . . 
9. Potass.Bromid. . . 
10. Tr. Camph. Co. . . 
11. Liq. Ammon. Acet. 
12. Vinum Ipecac. . . 
Potass. Cliloras. 
Aqua Camph. . . 
Sod® Bicarb. 
Potass. Bicarb. . . 
Syrup Tolu. 
Ammon. Carb. .. 
Tr. Opii 
Bismuth Nitras. . 
Tr. Card. Co. 
Acid. Nit-hydrochlor. 
Magnes. Sulph. . . 
Potass. lodid. . . 
Tr. Nucis. Vom.. . 
Dil. 
No. of times 
in 
Australia. 
938 
848 
793 
780 
780 
663 
642 
631 
610 
610 
587 
578 
563 
553 
550 
517 
507 
488 
472 
443 
438 
423 
4x8 
415 
402 
No. of times 
in England. 
Position in 
English list. 
545 
568 
566 
858 
252 
365 
413 
586 
717 
307 
548 
696 
388 
225 
555 
447 
316 
551 
142 
266 
246 
299 
150 
334 
468 
j 9th place 
{ 5th x>lace 
4th place 
1 1st place 
12th place 
10th „ 
2nd „ 
8th place 
3rd ,, 
6th place 
11th „ 
7th place 
THE GUESSING COMPETITION. 
Ten guesses have been tendered predicting the first six 
medicines likely to be found at the top of our list. No one 
has come up to the standard of the English com]:)etitors. 
The jfollowing are the successful names of preparations in 
each guess that are contained in the first dozen : — 
Year. 
Mem- 
bers. 
Income. 
Year. 
Mem- 
bers. 
Income. 
1877 
146 
£ s. d. 
181 3 0 
1882 
262 
£ s. d. 
589 10 6 
1878 
198 
239 2 0 
1883 
274 
620 8 0 
1879 
228 
456 11 5 
1884 
298* 
958 7 0 
1878 
244 
459 13 7 
1885 
327* 
1428 3 6 
1881 
250 
491 13 0 
1886 
392* 
1883 15 0 
No. 1 
No. 2 
No. 3 
Correct Guess. 
Calomel 
Sulphate of Quinine 
No. 4 
No. 5 
No. 6 
No. 7 
No. 8 
Sulphate of Quinine 
Spt. of Chloroform 
Aromatic Spirit of Ammonia 
Sulphate of Quinine 
Sulphate of Quinine 
Calomel 
Aromatic Spirit of Ammonia 
Spirit of Chloroform 
Glycerine 
Sulphate of Quinine 
Spirit of Chloroform 
Approximate Guess. 
Bromide of Potassium 
Syrup of Orange 
Sweet Spirit of Nitre 
Bromide of Potassium 
JBromide of Potassium 
Compound Tinct. of Camphor 
Bromide of Potassium 
Simple Syrup 
No. 9 
No. 10 
Not any of first six 
Calomel 
Bromide of Potassium 
Bromide. of Potassium 
Ipecacuiiarfa Wine 
Tincture of Henbane 
Bromide of Potassium 
Solution of Acetate of Ammo- 
i nium 
The ^ last guess is interesting as coming from a medical 
practitioner in Melbourne — the other three remedies he 
specified being Laudaunum, Citrate of Iron and Quinine, and 
Sulphate of Magnesium ; indeed the last-named was Avrongly 
guessed by five other competitors for the prize. A nearer 
approach occurs in Potassium Bromide, which, while occu- 
pying the ninth place, was prophesied to appear among the 
first six medicines by half-a-dozen gentlemen. 
FIVE guesses mention 
THREE „ 
THREE „ 
TWO „ „ 
ONE only mentions 
ONE 
QriNi.13 Sulph. 
Spt. Chloroformi 
Hydraro. Subchlor 
Spt. Ammok. An. 
Glycerinum 
Syrupus 
Guesses Nos. 6, 7, 8, embody the whole first six medicines. 
THE PRIZE AWARD. 
It will be obvious that the author of No. 6 guess, who 
enumerates correctly one-half of the six preparations that 
occupy the foremost places, has been the most successful 
competitor. Singularly, he hails from New Zealand, whence 
we have received no details of prescriptions. Still, this but 
confirms our belief that the compilation may be considered a 
fairly representative one foi* the- Australasian colonies. We 
award the prize to Mr. E. Hoyle, 0/0 H. Owen,, Esq., Napier,, 
N.Z., and we congratulate him on his prediction. The next 
best guess is indicated in No. 4, and has been made by 
Mr. Niemann, chemist, Brighton, and he fully deserves this 
recognition of his name being declared in our pages. 
There seems, however, to be some confusion in the figures for the 
last three years. From the annual reports of the society for 1884-5 and 
0 we find tlie membership to have been as follows : — 
1884. 
: 1885. 
1886. 
Victoria 
208 
210 
O.O.4. 
hife Members 
5 
6 
7 
Honorary Members 
20 
20 
20 
United States 
0 
0 
1 
London 
1 
1 
1 
New Soath Wales . . 
21 
23 
26 
New Zealand 
3 
2 
Queensland . . 
13 
13 
11 
South Australia 
16 
18 
16 
Tasmania . . 
10 
11 
16 
Western Australia . . 
1 
0 ' 
1 
Fiji - . 
2 
2 
2 
300 
307 1 
327 
It is not generally known that a peculiar 
The British system of marking adopted by the Board of 
Standard of Examiners of the Pharmaceutical Society 
Pharmaceutical of Great Britain makes the standard of 
Examinations, the minor or qualifying examination much 
higher than is implied by a plain state- 
ment of the method employed. The official announcement is 
that full marks in all subjects make up a total of 1200 ; and 
the candidate must get fifty per cent, of this number or 600 ; 
and must not get less than forty per cent, in any one subject. 
The examination is oral, therefore the- questions put to dif- 
ferent candidates should be adapted by the examiner to the 
character and idiosyncracies of the examinee, always main- 
taining a fair average standard. This is the justification and 
advantage of oral examinations. The British Bcard how- ' 
ever have adopted this theory :• — A candidate may answer all 
the questions put to- him, but if the examination were con- 
tinned long enough he would fail Sooner or later '.[exccq)t of '^ 
course on the derogatory Suiiposition thai^ he knetv As much as 
or more than the examinerj ; so no- candidate is^entitl ad to full ' 
marks. And if he ansAye^s every question put to him he will ' 
secure 180 marlcs oiit of 200, or sixty-five per cent; The ' 
result of this will be at once evident. The candidate will be 
plucked if he does not get sixty per cent, of the marks, 
and can at the very best get only -sixty-five percent. We 
