DUNDEE CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
365 
those best able to judge of the value of any proposed alteration. There could be little 
doubt that many of the evils which at present afflict chemical nomenclature had arisen 
from attempts to strain vocal language beyond the exercise of its legitimate functions. 
We are indebted to the Germans for many excellent things in chemistry, but certainly 
their compound word system is an importation of doubtful value. In the first place, the 
peculiar nature of the German language admits of compound word-making with much 
greater facility than the English ; and, in the second place, compound words are of very 
questionable value when made. It is impossible to make words tell their own history 
and at the same time make them serviceable in speech. The capacity of vocal language 
is limited, and the ignoring of this fact has too often caused confusion in scientific no¬ 
menclature. A wrong classification can be best remedied when the members of each 
class can be rearranged as increased knowledge may dictate, without carrying with them 
ineffaceable marks of their previous erroneous disposition. It might be safely said, indeed, 
that the common practice of indicating analogy of properties by similar terminations is 
a mistake, as it assumes the power of settling what must of necessity always be open to 
question. Tellurium is a case in point. It received the ordinary termination of the re¬ 
cently discovered metals, because its physical properties were very similar to those of the 
metals, but it has lately been found necessary to transfer it, metallic termination and all, 
to the oxygen, sulphur, and selenium group. The practice, especially rife in organic 
chemistry, of forming the names of complex compounds, such as ethylene-triethvl- 
trimethylphosphammon, by stringing together a list of the names of the simple com¬ 
pounds and elements composing them is indefensible. The framers of such expressions 
seem to have altogether forgotten that the first requisite of a word is that it shall be 
capable of utterance. Such words are unnecessary, too, as they are but indefinite and 
clumsy repetitions of the exact information conveyed by the formulae of the compound. 
It is a mistake to attempt to make each word an epitome of its own history. 
The rest of the paper was devoted to an exposition of the recent change in nomencla¬ 
ture which have been most generally adopted. 
Several members took part in the discussion which followed the reading of the paper, 
and a vote of thanks to Mr. Wilson was proposed by Mr. Huggon, seconded by Mr. 
Stead, and carried. 
DUNDEE CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
A meeting of the above Association was held in Lamb’s Hotel on Wednesday, 11th 
of December, 1867 ; Mr. Russell in the chair. There was a good attendance, including 
assistants and apprentices. The minutes of the previous meeting being read, bore a 
draft of rules for the guidance of the Association, and the names of office-bearers for the 
forthcoming year as follows:—President Mr. D. Russell, Vice-President Mr. Hardie, 
Treasurer Mr. Levie, Secretary Mr. Hodge. Committee Messrs. Mackay, Laird, Kerr, 
Park, Jack, Donald, and Henderson. 
A discussion took place on the rules and fundamental principles of the society, when 
it was generally agreed that the objects of the Association should be to elevate the 
status of the drug trade in Dundee ; to regulate or shorten the hours of labour ; to regu¬ 
late prices ; to establish regular holidays; and otherwise provide for the general good of 
its members. 
It was arranged that the meetings should be held monthly, at which papers should 
be read bearing on the more important matters of the trade, and observations or sug¬ 
gestions made of any miscellaneous character that might be interesting and beneficial. 
A fixed rate of membership was made; and apprentices and assistants were to be ad¬ 
mitted at lower rates. 
Papers for the next meeting were announced as follows:—“On Sweet Spirit of 
Nitre,” by Mr. Laird; and “Observations on the Specific Gravity of Tinctures.’’ 
Papers for successive meetings were also promised, as follows:—“On Homoeopathy,” 
by Mr. Charles Kerr; and on “Photography,” by Mr. Laird. A very unanimous feel¬ 
ing was expressed, that the meetings should be well attended, and that each one, 
besides taking a part in the discussions, should take his fair share in contributing papers 
and thus make certain of successful meetings. Altogether a very fine spirit pervaded 
