MEETING OF CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS IN NEWCASTLE. 
535 
vote of thanks was passed to the author, and he was requested to allow the paper to be 
printed in extenso.* 
The Fourth Monthly Meeting was held at the Union Chambers on Friday evening, 
March 5th, Mr. Brown, Vice-President, in the chair. A donation of the ‘Pharmaceutical 
Journal’ from the Society was announced. It was the intention of the Council to have 
submitted on this occasion for approval and discussion, the Dispensing Price List pre¬ 
pared by the sub-Committee. Mr. Brown having made some remarks respecting the 
proposed scale, and the lively interest shown in connection with it, and the importance 
of having it thoroughly discussed and unanimously adopted, it was proposed by Mr. 
Mitchell, and carried, that a special meeting be called for the 19th instant for the pur¬ 
pose. 
Mr. F. B. Benger (Hon. Sec.) then read a very interesting paper “ On some of the 
Effects and Applications of Current Electricity.” Referring to the accidental discovery 
of current electricity by the pupil of Galvani, he glanced at the various wonderful dis¬ 
coveries proceeding from this simple origin. In illustrating the subject, which he pre¬ 
sented in an exceedingly lucid and pleasing manner, he displayed by means of a very 
valuable selection of apparatus, many of the most striking phenomena of dynamic 
electricity. The following may be mentioned :—the suspension of a heavy weight by 
induced magnetism ; the action of various contact breakers, and their application to 
machinery and the telegraph, etc.; experiments with the induction coil, its construction 
and utility ; the electrolysis of water; the electric light; and lastly, a brilliant display 
of Geissler’s vacuum tubes. The reading of the paper was listened to with evident plea¬ 
sure and interest, and at its close a unanimous vote of thanks was passed for Mr. Ben- 
ger’s instructive paper and experiments. The April meeting will be held at 3 p.m. on 
Friday the 2nd inst. Subject: “ Spectrum Analysis,” by Mr. T. T. Slugg, F.R.A.S. 
MEETING OF CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS IN NEWCASTLE. 
A meeting of chemists and druggists was held March 8th, in the lecture theatre of the 
College of Medicine, Newcastle. Mr. Swan took the chair. 
Mr. Barnard S. Proctor (the Secretary) read the report, of which the following is 
an abstract:—Your committee have to report that they communicated to the secretary 
of the College of Medicine the proceedings of the meeting, at which they were ap¬ 
pointed, and in reply they were informed that the college had appointed a sub-com¬ 
mittee to receive your deputation. A meeting of the two committees was accordingly 
held on the 8th February, 1869. At this meeting your committee felt that the object 
in view would be promoted rather by a free and friendly interchange of opinions than 
by the submitting of any formal proposition. A general conversation ensued, in which 
many points of detail were considered. The proceedings of this meeting having been 
communicated to the college by their committee, they expressed their general concur¬ 
rence with our views in their reply through the registrar, his letter stating that it would 
be better that pharmaceutical students should be educated in the College of Medicine 
than that a separate institution should be formed for the purpose; that they would add 
a course on practical pharmacy ; that pharmacy-students would attend the present course 
on materia medica, including therapeutics; that courses on chemistry and pharmacy 
would be delivered in the winter session, and botany and materia medica in the summer; 
and that the lecture hours would not be in the middle of the day ; that a lecturer on 
pharmacy would be appointed according to the rules and constitution of the college ; and 
that the payment of a composition fee of £6. 6s. would entitle the student to attend the 
above courses in any order and at any time till his examination should be passed; that 
the £6. 6s. fee being below the regular scale, was instituted for the benefit of those who 
were engaged in the business before the passing of the Act, and would only apply to 
those who might enter within two years. 
There are only two points in this letter upon which your committee feel it necessary 
* This paper has been published, and may be obtained by sending a stamped directed enve¬ 
lope to F. B. Benger, Hon. Sec., 1, Market Place, Manchester. 
