448 
PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY. 
largely their numbers by the addition of many good men, which would put 
the Society in a position to contend against anything and everything that 
might attack it in future. 
The President said, that as the Solicitor’s opinion, which he gave on a for¬ 
mer occasion, appeared to be misunderstood by the mover of the resolution, 
Mr. Flux was desirous of explaining. 
Mr. Flux said Mr. Hollier appeared to have misunderstood him as having 
expressed an opinion that chemists and druggists could not be elected 
members of the Society without an alteration in the Pharmacy Act. No 
alteration of the Act was required to effect the object; an alteration in the 
Pye-laws would be sufficient; any new Bye-laws would be subject to the ap¬ 
proval of the Secretary of State for the Home Department. 
Mr. Hollier said he was glad to hear the exp]anation. He understood it in 
the other sense, and he had represented at local meetings, in consequence, that 
it would be necessary to go to Parliament for further powers for that object. 
Mr. Collins looked upon that day as somewhat of a day of triumph for 
him. Not a year ago their then estimable President looked at him with some¬ 
thing like horror, that he (Mr. Collins) and his friends should have brought 
under the notice of the Society the very question which was embodied in the 
resolution now under discussion. It must be evident to all thinking men 
that the Society must submit to extension, or it could not progress; and 
Mr. Bottle some years ago made a calculation how long the Society would 
last on its present basis, and named the year, he did not then recollect which, 
when the last man of the Society would pass into another world. It was 
certain, that at one time they had something like 4000 members, but they 
had dwindled down to about 2100, bearing but a small proportion to the ac¬ 
tual number of chemists now in business. They had endeavoured to induce 
them to come in by every possible means, no doubt from a feeling that the 
ship was sinking; but what did they do to stop the leak P Why they took 
instead a very heavy cargo when the}' built those extensive laboratories at 
the top of the house. That it was that had pressed them down. They appealed 
to the general body to come in and enjoy the privileges of the Society, but 
they were deaf to their entreaties. Of the 2100 members only 430 had passed 
an examination; so that if they went on as at present, by the time the gentle¬ 
men who paid annual subscriptions and had not passed an examination had 
left this scene, they would not have a sufficient number of examined members 
to keep up the Society. They had hitherto failed in inducing young men to 
come there and obtain an excellent education, almost, as Mr. Bottle had said, 
gratuitously, for nearly all that the parents and guardians had to pay was for 
their maintenance during the time they were in attendance in the laboratory. 
Mr. Squire rose to order. The object of the meeting was to consider the 
definite proposition contained in the resolution, and not the discussion of the 
general affairs of the Society. 
The President said lie thought Mr. Collins was rather out of order, but 
he did not like to stop the discussion. He suggested that it would be better 
for the members to confine their observations as much as possible to the real 
object of the meeting. 
Mr. Collins said that looking to the precise terms of the requisition, he 
considered he was in order. He was endeavouring to show the expediency 
of their adopting the resolution, as all their previous efforts to advance the 
Society had failed. They had been unable to induce the chemists and drug¬ 
gists as a body to join the Society ; they were now going to adopt a different 
policy, and they had called that meeting for the purpose of asking the mem¬ 
bers who were possessed of certain privileges, whether they were willing that 
others should partake of them. 
