NOTICE FROM THE MEDICAL COUNCIL. 
511 
Dr. Redwood said there were one or two points that had been adverted to 
by Mr. Carteighe upon which he felt anxious to offer a few remarks. This was 
not the first occasion on which he had been told—and communications to the 
same effect had been sent to the Journal—that a very good rule to observe in 
ascertaining which Pharmacopoeia was to be followed in dispensing, was to see 
whether the prescription was written strictly in accordance with the instruc¬ 
tions conveyed in one or the other of them. It had been assumed that the in¬ 
structions given in the Pharmacopoeia of 1867 were, that weights were to be 
expressed not by the old symbols but by a method which was certainly indi¬ 
cated, and indicated as the only method to be used, in the Pharmacopoeia of 
1864. But it would be found that medical men were not restricted in the pre¬ 
sent Pharmacopoeia to the use of these modes of expression, for it was particu¬ 
larly stated in the Preface to the Pharmacopoeia of 1867, that, “it wili be op¬ 
tional with the physician in prescribing to use the symbols 9 and 3 , the former 
representing 20 and the latter 60 grains, if such should be found to conduce to 
accuracy or convenience ;’ 1 but it was strongly urged upon all medical men to 
avoid using the terms ounce and pound with reference to any other than the 
avoirdupoise or imperial standard weight. It must be borne in mind, therefore, 
that the Pharmacopoeia still admitted the old symbols of drachm and scruple 
which it was found so convenient for medical men to use. As there seemed to 
be a general impression that this alteration had not been made in the Pharma¬ 
copoeia of 1867, he thought it desirable to remind members of the fact. He 
might perhaps be allowed to make reference to another point. Mr. Carteighe 
had alluded to a process given in the Pharmacopoeia for a certain liniment, in 
the preparation of which pharmaceutists had experienced some difficulties. 
He (Dr. Redwood) would not say—because he should not be correct in so 
stating—that the process had not been tried before it was put into the Phar¬ 
macopoeia ; but it was adopted upon the authority of a very high and well- 
known pharmaceutist, who had been in the habit of preparing the liniment, 
which was prescribed by a member of the Medical Council for many years. 
He (Dr. Redwood) had sometimes found the difficulty which other pharmaceu¬ 
tists had experienced in getting a good and permanent liniment. It was in¬ 
tended to be a semi-solid liniment, a species of soap somewhat analogous to the 
old Steer’s Opodeldoc, but he admitted that it called for some modification in 
the process to render it all that could be desired.* 
Mr. Hills observed that when the Pharmacopoeia of 1864 came out, much 
difficulty was experienced in dispensing, arising principally from the fact that 
although the British Pharmacopoeia had legally superseded the works previously 
possessing authority for determining the composition of medicines, yet it failed 
to give general satisfaction and was not, therefore, recognised and adopted by a 
large proportion of the medical profession. Under the peculiar circumstances 
which then existed, it became the general practice among dispensing chemists 
in London to follow the London Pharmacopoeia unless “ B. P.’’ were put upon 
the prescription. Since then a new edition of the British Pharmacopoeia had 
been produced, in which the defects of its predecessor had been remedied, but 
still, on its first introduction, a little of the same difficulty was experienced as 
occurred in 1864. He did not think, however, that the difficulty was as great 
on this occasion as some had represented it, and what difficulty existed arose in 
great measure from the anomalous practice previously adopted. He thought 
the proper course to adopt now was always to follow the British Pharmacopoeia 
* The directions given in this Journal, alluded to by Mr. Carteighe, precisely accord with 
those of the Pharmacopoeia, but are rather more explicit, the temperature and kind of appa¬ 
ratus best suited for producing the required effect being indicated. 
