NOTTINGHAM CHEMISTS* ASSOCIATION. 
309 
Materia Medica was not a science by itself, but was made up of selections from other 
sciences, such as chemistry, botany, mineralogy, zoology, and therapeutics. It must be 
remembered, he said, that the primary object of this course differed from that of the 
course under the same title delivered in a medical school. When lectures on Materia 
Medica were addressed to medical students, it was very important to show how drugs 
acted on the healthy system, or how they operated in controlling disease ; whereas with 
the druggist these were secondary, though not altogether unimportant matters. His 
object is to be able to judge of the quality of drugs, and the mode in which they should 
be compounded, so as to present them in the most efficient form for the use of the me¬ 
dical practitioner. Without paying much attention to therapeutics, it would be found that 
Materia Medica embraced a large field. Each substance had to be considered in regard 
to its past) its present, and its future. Its past origin, how prepared or where grown ;— 
its present properties, characteristics, possible impurities, varieties, commercial value, 
place in nature, and affinities with other bodies ;—its future uses, effects and dose. 
After canvassing the merits of the therapeutic arrangement of the Materia Medica, 
the lecturer stated his preference for the method founded on natural history, for his 
present purpose, and concluded by pointing out the advantages of instruction by means 
of lectures, and offering some advice to the students respecting the best way of pro¬ 
fiting by it. 
The President expressed the obligations of the members present to Mr. Thompson, 
for the highly-interesting paper to which they had listened. lie had treated with great 
ability, and in a clear and lucid manner, some questions of pharmaceutical politics which 
had great interest for each of them. It was a valuable service thus to review their rights, 
and also their duties, in relation to various bodies of the community, and he hoped that 
the members would have the opportunity of still more thoroughly reflecting upon the 
sound and sagacious ideas propounded, by the publication of a full report of the paper. 
NOTTINGHAM CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The Third General Meeting of this Society was held on Tuesday evening, the 24th 
ultimo, at the Town Hall; Dr. Tatham in the chair. 
The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed, and donations to the 
library announced, after which Mr. S. Parr read a very interesting paper on “ Disinfect¬ 
ants.” Mr. Parr observed that the limits of a single paper would not permit him to give 
a detailed account of all the disinfectants known at present to the chemist; he there¬ 
fore alluded very briefly to some, while the more important were considered more in 
detail. 
After the reading of the paper, a discussion on the subject of disinfectants took place, 
in which Dr. Charles Taylor, Mr. Atherton, and Mr. T. A. Stephenson took part. . A 
vote of thanks to Mr. Parr, for his paper, was proposed by Dr. Tatham, and carried with 
acclamation. 
Mr. J. H. Atherton, in the course of a few remarks, stated that the Society had been 
singularly unfortunate in their efforts to provide lectures for the associates. Dr. Wilson 
had been consulted with a view to the admission at a reduced rate of associates of the 
Society to his lectures on Chemistry. But the committee resolved that the dignity of the 
Society would be better upheld by the appointment of a lecturer. Accordingly, arrange¬ 
ments had been made with a gentleman in the town, of high reputation, for the deli¬ 
very of a course of lectures on Materia Medica. The lectures would be very complete 
and adapted to the every-day requirements of the chemist, and would qualify those who 
were desirous of passing the Minor examination of the Pharmaceutical Society. Mr. A. 
also stated that arrangements had been made with the Chamber Committee for the hire 
of two very good rooms in the Exchange buildings. The rent was moderate, and within 
the means of the Society; one room to be used as a lecture room, and the other as 
a library and reading-room. This room would be comfortably lighted, heated, and 
furnished, and be open from eight until half-past ten every night, except Saturday. 
The leading scientific periodicals of the day would be laid on the table each evening. 
The committee earnestly hoped that the members and associates of the Society would 
support their efforts to raise the educational standard of the trade. 
The Secretary proposed a vote of thanks to the Chairman, which was seconded by Mr. 
E. J. Lowe, and adopted, after which the proceedings terminated. 
