67 
EXTRACTS FROM MINUTES OF EVIDENCE GIVEN BEFORE THE 
SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS BILL. 
Dr. Alfred Swaine Taylor, examined. 
Chairman .] 9. You are aware, I believe, of the present state of the law in respect 
to the qualification of chemists and druggists ?—Yes, I am. I am generally acquainted 
with the requirements of the Pharmacy Act. 
10. Under which, generally speaking, no restriction is placed on the sale of drugs 
by any person who chooses to keep a shop for their sale ?—With the exception of ar¬ 
senic. There is an exception with regard to arsenic. 
11. But with regard to no other drug ?—But with regard to no other drug, so that 
a person can obtain any poisonous drug he pleases ; it depends entirely on the con¬ 
scientious feelings of the seller to supply him or not. I believe a great number of these 
exist in the chemist and druggist trade; the better class of druggists put great diffi¬ 
culty in the -way of obtaining these poisonous drugs; some do not sell them at all. I 
have tried in Edinburgh to procure a common poison, cyanide of potassium, but they 
refused to let me have it until I explained who I was, and gave some reason for ob¬ 
taining it. The sale of these substances is not so much with the higher class of che¬ 
mists and druggists as with the lower class, where oxalic acid, and substances of that 
sort, can be obtained in common shops; grocers, oilmen, and persons of that kind. 
18. You think some restriction on the sale of drugs is advantageous for the protec¬ 
tion of the public F—I do, indeed ; I am strongly impressed with that, from the num¬ 
ber of cases that have come before me, and where persons have not died, but recovered. 
They have brought bottles to the laboratory at Guy’s Hospital, and have asked for an 
examination. When I have made inquiries, I found they got the medicines in some 
low shop where persons are allowed to sell these things j selling laudanum for tincture 
of rhubarb, and so on; one is frequently mistaken for the other, not by competent 
druggists, but persons who are allowed to sell these drugs like druggists. 
19. What is the nature of the protection you would recommend P—I had sent to 
me, with reference to this question, two Bills, which I then saw r for the first time. 
20. We should prefer your not going into the Bills, but stating your own views.— 
I am prepared to say, from looking over the matter, I think it would be possible to 
construct a measure which would protect the public, improve the profession, and give 
the medical profession a certainty that their prescriptions would be well carried out. 
21. Am I to understand the suggestions you made in this report, which I hold in 
my hand, are those which you would advocate ?—They are substantially the conclu¬ 
sions and suggestions at the end of the report. 
22. Perhaps you will be kind enough to read them P—I will; and make any re¬ 
marks, if you will allow me, as to any alterations. The first suggestion is, “ That none 
but qualified persons educated to the trade of druggists should be allowed to vend, by 
retail, drugs or medicines capable of acting as poisons.” 
Mr. Roebuck^] Meaning in every part of the country “ capable of acting as 
poisons.” Then, secondly, “That the sale of poisonous drugs by chandlers, gro¬ 
cers, oilmen, drapers, or small shopkeepers should be strictly prohibited.” I put 
the word poisonous. 
Chairman .] 23. Upon that second suggestion, may I ask whether you think there 
would be any insuperable difficulty in inserting in a schedule those drugs upon which 
you would wish to put a prohibition in regard to the sale ?—I do not think there 
would be. I have considered a schedule in my own mind which I am prepared to lay 
before the Committee. Then the third conclusion is, “ That the sale of arsenic, strych¬ 
nia, and other specified poisons should, after a certain date, be restricted to pharma¬ 
ceutical chemists and licentiates of the Apothecaries’ Society.” By pharmaceutical 
chemists I do not mean any particular class, but those persons who are properly edu¬ 
cated and men of experience ; those who have undergone an examination ; those who 
have been regularly instructed in the nature of drugs and their properties. “ Any 
other persons acting as druggists not to be permitted to sell them until they have 
proved their knowledge of poisonous drugs by undergoing a proper examination.” 
