ON TI1E CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS BILL. 
71 
65. There are other things, much used in trade and commerce which may be difficult 
to deal with ?—Yes. 
66. And others in which you are of opinion there should be an interference in the 
sale of them ?—That is my view ; and I do not see why it should not be done. All I 
suggest is this, that you should not allow such dangerous substances to be in common 
hands; they should only go through the hands of skilled people. I think, with re¬ 
gard to cyanide of potassium, an experienced chemist and druggist, such as T hare 
pictured to my mind, might be permitted, on reasonable grounds, without the restric¬ 
tions which I put on certain other things, to sell it if required for chemical or trading 
purposes. I do not see, if you start with this proposition, that legislation would be 
very difficult. If you allow these articles to be in the hands of uneducated persons, I 
do not see how the matter can be dealt with so as to save public life. 
Mr. C. W. TV. Wynn '.] 76. How do you propose to deal with the question of the 
wholesale warehousemen ; would the wholesale warehousemen be examined ?—No. 
77. That would be another difficulty ?—I would not say that. 
78. How far do you mean to carry your examination ?—It should include those who 
sell these articles by retail, especially those who make up prescriptions. The articles 
should be labelled, and care taken, in passing them from hand to hand, that certain 
precautions are observed. • ...... 
Mr. Blade.'] 84. There are districts in the country where the population is thin, 
and where they are poor, and where a person who had undergone such an examination 
as is pointed out by this Bill could not exist; he would not have as much trade as v ould 
keep him alive ; and therefore in such places as these you must find some person per¬ 
fectly acquainted with drugs where people can get either Epsom salts or such articles 
as laudanum, for example; how would you do with that ? That is wliat I presented 
to you as a difficulty, undoubtedly. There is a demand ior laudanum in all parts of 
this country ; it is only a question whether that article is to be excluded oi included 
in the list, I cannot conceive that there would be any urgent want of prussic acid or 
strychnia for medicine, but there would be time to get it from a town, as by means o 
communication by railway ; there would be no difficulty. I quite agree, that in Wa es 
and other’ places where the population is scattered, persons would ha\ e to go some 
miles to druggists who keep these things ; but you might give the power oi selling a 
articles not injuring life, and you might include chemists and druggists. It is a ques¬ 
tion whether the injury done to society, by children and adults being killed by such 
facilities in selling poisons, can be compared with the amount of injury that w ould e 
done by restricting the sale. I named opium, and the facilities for getting opium are 
such that the lives of children are now very extensively destroyed. It is owing to the 
facility of obtaining this drug. If the destruction of life is not to enter into the con¬ 
sideration of this matter, it might be obtained as it is now. The practice is carried 
on only at the expense of a great destruction of human life. 0 
86. Would not the passing of either of these Bills interfere with any Or the 
other surgical or medical bodies of the kingdom ?—-No, they would not. 
87. The College of Surgeons at Edinburgh?—No, I do not see that they would; 
the only branch of the profession who would be affected by it are the members of the 
Society of Apothecaries. There are men who belong to the. Apothecaries Society 
who sell drugs by retail, and who also prepare medical prescriptions; but I believe, 
the number is now small, and it is not carried on to any great extent. I do not see 
that this Bill would interfere with those branches of the medical profession. 
Lord Elcho.] 92. With regard to the regulations in France, you said there were nine- 
Politely prohibited?—No, not absolutely prohibited except to a 
certain class of pliarmaeiens. According to my recollection, they are what are called 
the general pharmacien, who may practise all oyer the country. There is a diffemit 
style of examination, and these drugs are allowed to be sold under ceitam resti lctio . , 
by entering the name and date in a book, and matters of that kind ; but they cannot 
be obtained by the public in the same easy way that they can from any shop m this 
country. I see they have got a number of substances which I should not think it ne¬ 
cessary 7 to put in our schedule; among others, ergot of rye,—although used for 
the purposes of abortion, it would not be entered as a dangerous poison m any way. 
