BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
148 
lie believed that this would be best promoted by committees undertaking 
to report at their next meeting upon subjects of great interest to pharma¬ 
ceutists generally. Such committees, he thought, should not be too large, but 
should comprise working and competent observers from different parts of Great 
Britain. It should be the province of the members of such committees to 
collect together any local information they could, and to investigate the sub¬ 
ject with reference more especially to the districts in which they were seve¬ 
rally placed; and then their conjoined results should be worked up by some 
one member deputed for the purpose, and who had particularly devoted him¬ 
self previously to the subject upon which they had agreed to report. Amongst 
other subjects which could be advantageously taken up by such a committee 
would be the one alluded to by the Chairman, namely, the “ Effect of Culti¬ 
vation upon Medicinal Plants.” The importance of collecting information upon 
this matter, he had on various occasions alluded to in his lectures, etc. (Pharm. 
Journ. N.S. vol. iii. pp. 432, and 474-478). Professor Bentley also dwelt some¬ 
what in detail upon the necessity of collecting information as to the comparative 
medicinal activity of plants growing wild in different parts of Great Britain. 
He w r as persuaded that it would be found that plants even in such circumstanoes 
would vary greatly in properties, according to the local conditions under which 
they were placed. 
He concluded by moving the following resolution :—“ That it is desirable 
that an Association be formed, to be called the British Pharmaceutical Confer¬ 
ence, for the purpose of holding in the provinces an annual meeting of those 
engaged in pharmacy.” 
l)r. Attfield seconded the resolution. He referred to the numerous letters 
which he had received from gentlemen who were unable to attend on the pre¬ 
sent occasion, but many of whom expressed the hope of assisting in future con¬ 
ferences. The amount of support now guaranteed to the movement was amply 
sufficient to carry out to a successful issue the objects which they had proposed 
to themselves to accomplish. He was much impressed with the advantages 
which would accrue to pharmacy by the systematic arrangement of subjects for 
original research. There would be no difficulty in finding proper subjects for 
investigation ; the question of medicinal herbs, as alluded to by the Chairman 
and by Professor Bentley, would afford a field of operations for many labourers. 
We knew that an endless variety of products resulted from the vital processes 
of plants, and with the chemistry of a large number of these products we were 
totally unacquainted. For instance, the variety of flavours and odours of 
plants w r ere due to essential oils, and it was desirable that these principles should 
be isolated and examined in many cases in which this had not yet been done. 
Such an investigation w r ould be sure to contribute to the store of our chemical 
knowledge. Many members of the class of alkaloids were still subjects upon 
which we had much to learn. 
Mr. Groves washed to inquire whether membership in the Conference was to 
bo limited to those who belonged to the Pharmaceutical Society. He did not 
wish to express the opinion that it should be so, but thought they should con¬ 
sider the point before this resolution was put to the vote. 
Mr. Brady replied that the originators of the movement had all along con¬ 
templated the adoption of a broad and liberal basis, and, individually, he hoped 
that no such limitation would be created. This feeling was evidently general 
in the meeting, and it was further pointed out that membership must not be 
limited to those actually engaged in the practice of pharmacy, since this would 
exclude professors, medical men who might be especially interested iu the sub¬ 
ject, professional chemists, and the cultivators of medicinal herbs. The reso¬ 
lution w^as then adopted unanimously. 
The Chairman called upon Mr. Brady to introduce the draft of a proposed 
