CORRESPONDENCE. 
95 
loss to understand what material benefit can 
accrue from educating either themselves or 
any other members of the fraternity. They 
seem to consider that the necessary qualifi¬ 
cations of an assistant consist merely in the 
ability to dispense, and perform the ordinary 
mechanical routine of the counter. As for 
the sciences of “ Chemistry,” “ Botany,” and 
“ Materia Medica,” they are of but minor 
importance in the estimation of these pecu¬ 
liar thinkers. They offer no encouragement 
to stimulate the young aspiring pharmaceu- 
n tist to acquire knowledge whereby he is ena¬ 
bled to become a more useful member of the 
profession, but rather sear the expanding 
and plastic mind by discouraging and selfish 
remarks and actions. One would imagine 
that in a profession which bears such an 
amount of responsibilty as that of a che¬ 
mist and druggist, qualification would be 
held in the highest esteem, and education 
promoted by every possible means. But to 
a large extent such is not the case, for I will 
venture to say, with all due respect to my 
brethren, that not one-third of the chemists 
and druggists in England are what their 
titles designate them to be. Indeed, I sup¬ 
pose they have about as much real and sound, 
knowledge respecting the drugs and chemi¬ 
cals they deal in, as the customer who comes 
to buy thorn. Business, and nothing else but 
business, is the acme of their ambition, and 
knowledge is placed entirely in the back¬ 
ground. 
Probably if these individuals had been in 
Egypt with the children of Israel, they would 
rather have remained in bondage in prefer¬ 
ence to advancing to the land of promise. 
But as we are now under the thumb of the 
law, I trust narrow and detestable notions of 
this kind will gradually give place to more 
liberal and elevated principles. 
I have been tempted to make the above 
remarks in consequence of having noticed, 
through various channels, that Assistants 
who have passed the Board of Examiners at 
Bloomsbury Square receive no more and 
often not so much remuneration as those As¬ 
sistants who never trouble themselves about 
learning. I believe it is a well-known fact that 
the qualification required by the Board of 
Examiners gives the possessor no advantage 
whatever over his ignorant fellow-assistant 
in obtaining a situation; indeed, I imagine 
that I am not wrong in asserting that there 
are not a few houses which prefer unex¬ 
amined to examined Assistants. Now why 
should this be the case ? Surely there must 
be something at the root of all this, since in 
other professions a man is remunerated in 
proportion to his qualifications. But with 
us it is often more to the advantage of an 
examined Assistant seeking a situation to 
keep his qualifications a secret. 
Perhaps some kind friend will give me 
some enlightenment upon the subject with 
your permission. 
I remain, yours obediently, 
Palham. 
Lin. Aconiti and Lin. Belladonna. 
Dear Sir,—In reply to Mr. T. W. Hissing’s 
questions as to the B. P. process for making 
Lin. Aeoniti and Belladonnas, I find 20 fluid 
ounces of rectified spirit sufficient to moisten 
the root in coarse powder, and after macera¬ 
tion, I displace first with 8 fluid ounces of 
rectified spirit, and then water. By this 
means I save about 10 fluid ounces of rectified 
spirit, without the slightest danger of any 
aqueous liquid passing through. 
Yours truly, 
Riccall, York, A. P. S. 
July 21, 1869. 
HOW TO GET AT A TRUE GrRAMME WEIGHT. 
Pharmaceutical attention being directed 
to the discussion of the relative merits of the 
French and English metrical systems, pal¬ 
pable misstatements should not be allowed 
to pass unnoticed. A franc weighs 5 grammes, 
so also does a sou, or 5 centime piece. Con¬ 
sequently the silver coin of 20 centimes and 
the bronze centime each weigh 1 gramme, 
and the decime or penny 10 grammes. That 
the French call a gramme a weight equal to 
4 gros is absurd, a gros or drachm being 
equal to 4 grammes. The argument against 
the decimal system on the score of its being 
indivisible by 3 or the duodecimal series, 
falls to the ground when we recollect that it 
creates for itself the decim, the hundred, and 
the thousand, as commercial units instead of 
the dozen, gross, and its multiples. Who in 
France would think of ordering 12 gross of 
corks or bottles? As long as the present 
numerals exist, the decimal system must be 
naturally the best and simplest, and is in fact 
but a part of the universal system of nota¬ 
tion. The conversion of English weights into 
metric and vice versa can be done with ma¬ 
thematical precision by those who wish, but 
in general practice on the Continent a grain 
=0 - 05e, a drachm=4 grammes, an ounce= 
30 grammes, a pound=500 grammes, and a 
litre=32 ounces. The old French gros con¬ 
tained 72 grains, equal to 0'053. The Ger¬ 
man grain is of the same weight. The con¬ 
version should be always made proportion¬ 
ally as these quantities, otherwise the error 
would be too great. 
I remain, gentlemen, 
Yours, 
Paris, July 14. E. J. T. A. 
Foreign Honours.* 
Sir,—Mr. Swift was admitted Pharmacien 
by the “ School of Pharmacy,” Paris, about 
* See Pharm. Journ. June 1869, p.724. 
