SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY. 15 
quainted, with which all their habits and experiences were associated : one which 
answered the required purpose, and had many advantages which had been 
proved by long experience; he thought they ought to hesitate before they de¬ 
cided to abolish this system and committed themselves to a system which, how¬ 
ever good and complete it may be, would not be easily substituted and adapted 
to all the circumstances and conditions under which it was required to be ap¬ 
plied. These were his views and opinions with reference to the question before 
the meeting, which, having been appealed to, he could not do otherwise than 
express, although he had not intended to speak on the subject, and would not 
have done so if he had not been called upon, as he was unwilling to interfere 
with or interrupt the perfect harmony of feeling which appeared to prevail in 
the meeting. 
Mr. Waugh begged to thank Professor Redwood for the remarks with which 
he had favoured the meeting, and with which, he might say, he entirely con¬ 
curred. £ 
Mr. Yates would be glad if he might be allowed to say a few words in reply 
to the able address which had been delivered by Professor Redwood, whose opi¬ 
nions were entitled to respect, although he did not agree with him in the con¬ 
clusions he had formed. He would not attempt to discuss the convenience or 
inconvenience of the weights at present used in pharmacy, but would leave it to 
practical men who were more capable of dealing with it; but he might say that 
he understood the present system was beset with difficulties which must be got 
rid of. There could be no doubt, as Professor Redwood had said, there would 
be great difficulty in introducing the new system so as to make it generally 
adopted, but he did not think the difficulty was insuperable. He had devoted 
great attention to the subject for many years, and had come to the conclusion 
that it would be possible to make its use almost universal throughout the country 
in twenty or thirty years. From a correspondence he had with the Astronomer 
Royal at Brussels, he found that in that country they were obliged to exercise 
some severity when the law rendering it obligatory first came into effect; but 
there still were persons, mostly old persons, who would adhere to the old system. 
A great forbearance had to be exercised in these cases. He had no doubt the 
same course would have to be adopted in this country. There would of neces¬ 
sity be many old persons bigoted, he might say, to the old system, whom they 
would never think of compelling to adopt the new system. These, however, 
would gradually die out, and in thirty years or so the system might be in uni¬ 
versal use. There were but few places in France now where the system was not 
in use. Since he had directed his attention to the subject, he had made frequent 
inquiries of assistants in druggists’ and apothecaries’ shops whether they thought 
they would experience any difficulty in acquiring and applying the metrical sys¬ 
tem, and he had invariably received the answer, “Not the slightest.” With regard 
to the country in general, the utmost efforts would be used to have the system 
taught in schools. Children would experience no difficulty in learning it, and 
they would explain it to their parents, and most persons, he was convinced, would 
seize it with avidity in consequence of its contrast with the present perplexing 
and difficult system. Great labour and attention was required in acquiring the 
present system, and often, after it had been committed to memory, it was for¬ 
gotten in a few weeks. Of course, on its first introduction it would be neces¬ 
sary to have in the different shops comparative tables to guide the assistants. 
The cost of these and of the change of weights and measures would only be a 
question of a few shillings. It was often a troublesome thing to get rid of a bad 
habit, but he had a very high opinion of the intelligence and ability of those en¬ 
gaged in chemists’ shops, and he felt confident they would do all they could to 
promote the change. 
Mr. Waugii wished to know, as even Mr. Yates assigned twenty or thirty 
