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necessity for legislation?—Yes, I hare; I have considered the matter for some years, 
and especially with reference to a Poisons Bill brought in some years ago, and also 
with reference to this Report of poisoning which I drew up for the Board of Health. 
168. Do you think all persons who dispense medicines should have a fair educa¬ 
tion?—Yes, I think so, and have a fair examination. I would not take it out of the 
department necessary for the knowledge of drugs or prescriptions. 
169. Do you think by a better education, and giving a better standing to chemists 
and druggists, they would improve the medical profession proper ?—I certainly think 
it would have this good effect. It would give many benefits to the medical profession 
as to the safety of prescriptions being made up. It is a part of the profession, and 
the change would be a general improvement. I may state my opinion, that I think 
the state in which the profession of pharmacy and the profession of drugs has been 
allowed to continue in England is a disgrace to us. 
Mr. Ayrton .] 226. I understand you that a person who sells a number of commo¬ 
dities like tea and coffee, and articles of that kind, ought not to be allowed to sell 
poisonous substances, all kept together ?—A village shopkeeper should not be allowed 
to keep them ; but, if he did, he should keep them apart from articles of food. I do 
not see that there is any necessity for his selling them, in reference to public conve¬ 
nience, compared with the great danger of life, and the known destruction of life by 
the sale of them. I do not see there is any necessity for any but educated persons 
selling these articles. 
227. Is not arsenic a thing used for many commercial purposes ?—Yes, but I would 
not allow it to be sold, except under resti'ictions. Almost all medicines we have are 
poisons ; it is a question of doses, and we cannot make a distinction between them. 
228. How do you propose to prevent the accidents you mention occurring by the 
Bill before Parliament ?—I think, in the sale on a large scale, of large quantities of 
these articles, especially a poisonous article, there shoidd be some label or instructions 
on the article as sold, that people may be warned. It is a disgrace to our system that 
such articles should be allowed to circulate without anything on them to warn the 
public of the excessive danger. I do not see that we could do anything to prevent 
the sale, but we might see that the poison is strictly labelled in passing from hand to 
hand. 
229. Looking at the French schedule, are you aware what the object of that is ; is 
it to prevent subtle and insidious poisons being sold, to prevent the abuse of them, or 
to prevent errors ?—I think both ; but I think the two poisons mentioned are pro¬ 
hibited. 
230. Would it be an accurate description to say they do embrace the most insidious 
poisons for the destruction of life ?—Yes. 
236. What would you suggest as to the expense of any mode of carrying out the 
system of examination ?—I think all that would be necessary would be this : that the 
person should present himself for examination on the subject of botany, in so far as it 
relates to medicine and materia medic a ; that would be one point. Then the com¬ 
bination and properties of drugs with pharmaceutical chemistry, and the doses of the 
different medicines ; also the power of reading Latin prescriptions with facility, and 
a general knowledge of the common poisons. 
237. When you spoke in your previous answers of an educated person, you meant 
& person who complies with what you have stated ?—Yes ; undergone an examination. 
238. How would you propose to get up the people in villages ?—As to chemists 
and druggists ? 
239. Yes ?—I think the answer may be put on this basis, to be safe to the public. 
I would advise that the examination should not be so strict as that required for the 
medical profession. I would suggest that it should not be left entirely to any one 
body, but that a Board should be constituted, in which there should be two members 
of the medical profession. I am only putting this as a suggestion to the Committee. 
Two members of the College of Physicians should be associated with the examinei’s, 
and they should examine candidates on their knowledge of prescriptions written on 
the spot, and at the same time test their general knowdedge of the doses of medicines. 
Writing prescriptions and prescribing doses are matters belonging to the medical pro¬ 
fession, and I think they would be a very great safeguard in another way, it would 
