Vol. X., No. 10. 
THE CHEMIST AND DilUGGIST OF AUSTRALASIA. 
210 
of the Adulteration Act, was raised before Mr. Martin, S.M., 
on September 18. Henry Pritchard, storekeeper, was 
charged by A. H. Hansen with having sold him a bottle of 
adulterated vinegar. Hansen produced a bottle labelled 
“ vinegar,” which he said he had purchased from an 
assistant in Pritchard’s shop as malt vinegar. He told the 
boy that he intended to have it analysed. Dr. Teare certi- 
fied that the sample produced was not vinegar as defined by 
the British Phai'tnacopma, and W. Skey, G-overnment 
Analyst, said his analysis showed that the bottle contained 
a mixture of acetic acid, burnt sugar, sulphuric acid in com- 
bination, ash, and water. The burnt sugar was used for 
colouring purposes. The mixture, however, was just as 
wholesome as malt vinegar, though it did not possess the 
same nutritious properties. The stuff produced was largely 
sold as vinegar, as it 'was cheaper to manufacture than malt 
vinegar. He could not say, without reference to authorities, 
whether it was properly described as vinegar. The defen- 
dant (for whom Mr. Hislop appeared) and his assistant 
stated that when Hansen bought the bottle he was told 
that it was not sold as malt vinegar. His Worship said he 
would be inclined to hold that the defendant’s assistant did 
actually sell as malt vinegar something which was not malt 
vinegar, but whether this brought the case within the Act 
was another question. Mr. Edwards, for the complainant, 
argued that as the article was coloured to make it appear 
to be malt vinegar, it came within the definition. His 
Worship reserved his decision, but next day held that a 
breach of the Act had been committed, that the bottle was 
sold as malt vinegar, and that, though vinegar, it was not 
malt vinegar. The boy had been put in the shop to sell his 
: master’s goods, and the master was responsible. The act 
I of the boy was within the scope of his employment. This 
i was a case for only a nominal fine. The defendant would 
i be fined Is., with £3 14s. costs, 
I 
! The Position of the Pharmacy Bill is anything but 
I satisfactory to chemists at the present time, and there is but 
j little hope of its becoming law this session. The Govern- 
I ment has been besieged by the “unqualified” of all sorts, 
I and ever ready to pander to the requests of men who possess 
I votes, no matter how selfish or ridiculous their requests may 
be, has now introduced amendments to the bill which, if 
! passed, will allow herbalists to call themselves “herbal or 
' botanic chemists.” As there are no restrictions as to who 
I may call themselves “herbalists,” it simply means that any 
' man whatever may call himself a “herbal chemist,” and by 
i the judicious use of signwriter’s paint and printer’s ink 
i easily persuade the public that he is a properly qualified 
chemist. The Board has never wished to interfere with 
herbalists as such, but it has naturally a very strong 
objection to the word “chemist” becoming public property, 
and will do its utmost to prevent the amendments being 
I passed. The idea of allowing a class of men, the majority 
of whom do not know the simple rudiments of chemistry, to 
legally call themselves chemists is an insult to the Queen’s 
English, besides being a scandalous injustice to the men 
who by hard work and considerable expense have earned the 
title. Unfortunately, however, the present Government 
does not seem to place so much importance upon either 
English or justice as it does upon its desire to please 
electors, particularly those who are known as of the “right 
colour,” and to this distinction the Board does not 
aspire. Nobody can blame the Government for wishing 
to make the bill as satisfactory to all parties as possible, but 
ministers cannot be expected to understand all the rami- 
fications of the drug business, and one would think that 
they would be guided by the legislation of other countries 
or to some extent by the Pharmacy Board, whose business it 
is to understand the situation. But no ; the Board is regarded 
as a greedy monster who wants to fatten on the misfortunes of 
the “unqualified,” and who must be kept down at any cost. 
The time of the present Board will expire in December, and 
everything will have to be shifted to Auckland. The Wel- 
lington members have had a hard and thankless task during 
the three years they have been in office, and it is somewhat 
disappointing to see their reward slipping away from 
them. 
End of the Pharmacy Bill. — In the House of Repre- 
sentatives on September 18 the Premier moved to strike off 
the order paper Nos. 1, 35, and 40 — the Customs and 
NEW ZEALAND. 
Excise Duties Bill, second reading; Pharmacy Bill (Mr. 
Cadman), further consideration in committee ; and Debts 
Recovery Limitation Bill (Mr. Seddon), second reading. 
This has been expected for some time now. The Govern- 
ment found it was impossible to please everybody, so they 
think it best to keep everybody in suspense. They have 
never regarded the bill with any sincerity, and, as far as 
chemists are concerned, they have not acted with common 
civility. 
Latest Bulletin.— The latest opinion regarding the 
Pharmacy Bill, expressed by a member who ought to know, 
is that it is “ as dead as Moses.” 
Scientific Names as Trade Marks. Ar^on.— it is 
curious to note that the Victorian Trade Marks Registration 
Office has allowed the name “ Argon” to be registered as a 
trade mark by a firm of merchants in Melbourne. They 
are not the inventors or the manufacturers, or in any way 
the proprietors of the new element. The name has not 
been used by others for trade purposes, it is true, but it is 
difficult to understand on what grounds it is possible for 
them to monopolise the word which is already part of the 
current language of science. It may possibly lead to some 
interesting litigation in the future. 
The Strychnine Antidote for Snake Bite. —A 
curious and unexpected danger in the popular use of this 
remedy is illustrated by a case which occurred at Tallan- 
gatta (Vic.) on Sept. 5. A lad was bitten by a long tiger 
snake, which held on to the boy’s left thumb so strongly 
that it was with difficulty shaken off. The lad ligatured 
the thumb, sucked the wound, and then rode to the house 
of a neighbour who he knew kept Dr. Mueller’s antidote. 
This antidote was found to have evaporated. The wound 
was incised, and free bleeding induced, and the lad dis- 
played no bad symptoms, but was able to return home next 
day. If the antidote, instead of being evaporated to dry- 
ness, had been reduced in bulk by half or three-quarters, 
and the usual volume had been injected in this case, in 
which evidently the snake venom had been removed by the 
prompt ligaturing and sucking, it is pretty certain that a 
death from strychnine poisoning would have taken place, 
where otherwise there would have been no danger from the 
snake bite. 
The Australasian Association for the .Advance- 
ment of Science. — a note from a chemist who prepared 
and read a paper at the Brisbane meeting of the Australasian 
Association for the Advancement of Science contained an 
expression which seemed not a little curious. Although he 
had read the previous paper, he wrote that he had not 
thought that he might be asked for a paper for the next 
meeting, and therefore had not considered the question of 
writing one. Now, if this gentleman, who might be ex- 
pected to be, and no doubt is, sufficiently interested to be 
glad to volunteer a contribution, was so modest that he 
waited to be asked, it is pretty certain that many others 
who may have quite sufficient capacity to produce a useful 
paper may want not merely to be asked, but to be pressed 
before they will try their powers in this direction. Readers 
must not think it will show anything approaching conceit if 
they volunteer a contribution, nor must they take it for 
granted that everything that is offered will be accepted. 
There is still plenty of time ahead, and we trust that some 
at least of our readers will be moved to endeavour to make 
the pharmaceutical influence in section B an appreciable 
element. Occurrences met with in daily life may afford 
quite sufficient material for investigation. Unexplored re- 
mainders, as they are sometimes called, have constantly 
yielded most fruitful and remarkable discoveries. In fact, 
it was just such an unexplained phenomenon that led 
recently to the discovery of argon, and, later to that, of 
helium. If any reader is too modest to offer a paper direct 
to the Secretary, a gentle hint that he might perhaps be 
able to prepare one would be conveyed through the right 
channel, and lead to all the pressure needed to satisfy the 
scruples of the most retiring. 
