12 SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING OE THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY. 
time, and, as the Bill now stood, it would be compulsory after three years. The 
second reading was fixed for the 1st of July, and it was desirable that any pe¬ 
titions should be presented before that time. 
Mr. Moiison doubted if a merely permissive Act would produce much effect. 
The public generally would not be likely to pay much attention to it until it was 
rendered compulsory. lie should be glad to know whether Mr. Yates thought 
that it could be brought into general use in three years. 
Mr. Yates said it had been under consideration whether the interval before 
it became compulsory should be three or five years. He preferred three years, 
because it might be said that public attention was directed to it from the first 
introduction of the Bill, and as soon as it should be passed, measures Avould be 
taken to have the system taught at schools, so that children and apprentices 
would become acquainted with it long before they were called upon practically 
to deal with it. The details of the Bill were, of course, subject to alteration as it 
went through Committee ; and, indeed, he might say that they were open to 
any suggestions with reference to practical details. Mr. Squire had referred to 
the alteration the Bill proposed in the values of the acre and mile, and he would 
observe that at the present time there was great discrepancy in these measures 
as used in different parts of the country. In Cheshire there were no less than 
five different acres used, and one of these nearly coincided with the proposed 
new acre, being nearly equal to two and a half statute acres. At Wigan 
there were three measures in use ; one for measuring land, another for building- 
ground, and a third for measuring coal underground. 
The President said the meeting, he was sure, felt greatly obliged to Mr. 
Yates for the information he had given them. There was one point to which 
he wished to direct Mr. Yates’s attention, and as he was in frequent communi¬ 
cation with Mr. Ewart, the attention of that gentleman might also perhaps be thus 
drawn to it—namely, the mode of spelling and representing the gram in pre¬ 
scriptions. In the Bill it was spelt gram; but this, when written, so nearly re¬ 
sembled grain , that it was feared its adoption might lead to serious mistakes in 
dispensing. The last paragraph in the petition had reference to this, and it 
was thought desirable, not only that the French spelling gramme should be re¬ 
tained, but that medical men should be required to write the Avord in full. 
Mr. Yates said this was one of the minor details, Avhich Avould be dealt with 
in Committee. He believed he Avas principally ansAverable for introducing the 
German mode of spelling the word gram into this country rather than the 
French, as being more simple and more like an English Avord. It w T ould cer¬ 
tainly be a very desirable thing to get physicians to Avrite a clear and intelligible 
hand, but he was very much afraid that it could not be effected by Act of Par¬ 
liament. 
The President was about to put the resolution to the meeting, when-— 
Mr. Waugh said he felt confident the Society would be disappointed if 
they did not hear the opinion of one of their Professors Avho Avas present, and 
Avho, of course, had given some consideration to the subject. On a former occa¬ 
sion, when the Bill was brought under the notice of the Society at its Anniver¬ 
sary Meeting, Professor Redwood expressed a wish that they should have a little 
time to consider the provisions of the measure, and he Avas sure he would be 
willing now to state Avhat opinion he had formed since he had had an opportu¬ 
nity of examining the Bill. 
l)r. Redavood said he felt very much in the position of one who Avas unable 
to say much in favour of the motion which the meeting was apparently about 
to adopt, and yet he should be sorry to say anything on the other side, nor was 
he prepared or disposed to do so. He felt, however, much more decidedly and 
strongly than any of those Avho had addressed the meeting appeared to feel, the 
difficulties that stood in the way of carrying out the proposed measure for 
